FRCE accepts barge delivery of F-35 airframe for training
CHERRY POINT, N.C. (March 8, 2021) Transportation specialists at the docks aboard Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, use a crane to lift an F-35 airframe from a barge and transfer it to a self-propelled transport dolly for movement to Fleet Readiness Center East. The barge delivered the airframe from MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, via the Intracoastal Waterway. FRCE will use the stripped-down airframe as a depot maintenance trainer and in engineering testing, which will allow for the development of improved tooling, maintenance procedures and sustainment practices. (U.S. Navy photo by Heather Wilburn)