Aerospace

Pilots praise survivability and stealth of F-35

A group of pilots who have flown the F-35 Lightning II praised the aircraft on Friday and said that its capabilities are “unmatched.”

“This is by far the easiest airplane I’ve ever flown in my life,” said Col. Todd Canterbury, the F-35 Integration Office Operations Division Chief, during a showing of the aircraft at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.

“What does that mean? That means that I can now focus on the battlefield, focus on the tactics at hand, rather than try to manipulate and fly the aircraft to where I need it to be,” Canterbury said. “The increased situational awareness that this brings increases my survivability on the battlefield. That’s really what it’s all about. It’s protecting the men and women that are going to fly these airplanes every single day and bringing them back home safely.”