A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II with Marine

A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, takes off at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Feb. 3, 2017. VMFA-121 is permanently stationed at MCAS Iwakuni and belongs to Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force. The F-35B Lightning II is a fifth-generation fighter, which is the world’s first operational supersonic short takeoff and vertical landing aircraft. The F-35B brings strategic agility, operational flexibility and tactical supremacy to III MEF with a mission radius greater than that of the F/A-18 Hornet and AV-8B Harrier II in support of the U.S. – Japan alliance. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Donato Maffin)