The U.S. military started field testing all F-35 aircraft variants and expects to finish this summer, Reuters reported Friday.
The combat condition tests are intended to assess the operational capacity of F-35 weapon systems. Bloomberg government reported that the field testing of the Lockheed Martin-made aircraft will last for a year, following a 15-month delay caused by extended flight and software tests. In a statement, the Department of Defense said it will use the field testing phase’s data as basis for what would lead to the aircraft’s full production.