The U.S. Navy confirmed to Military Times that a U.S. Navy unit testing weapons and aircraft was recently spotted flying a U.S. Air Force fifth-generation fighter jet as part of an exchange between the two militaries.
On January 23, aviation enthusiasts discovered on social media that an F-35A Lightning II variant aircraft had the unit insignia of the U.S. Navy Aviation and Test Evaluation Squadron 9 (VX-9), which is stationed at the Naval Air Weapons Station in China Lake, California.
A spokesman for the F-35 Joint Program Office later confirmed the fact that the Navy was flying the aircraft in an emailed statement to Military Times.
The Air Force’s F-35A is a traditional take-off and landing fighter, while the Navy uses a carrier-based F-35C variant. Meanwhile, the Marine Corps is flying the short takeoff and vertical landing version of the F-35B.
The Air Force delivered the aircraft to the Navy through a service agreement, the spokesman said.
The spokesperson added that as of December 2025, the Navy has reportedly received nearly 90 carrier-based F-35C aircraft.
While the F-35 Joint Program Office could not explain the reason for the exchange, a U.S. Navy official told Military Times that other Navy test units had previously flight-tested aircraft from other services.
One common feature of the F35-A and C models is their mission systems, the defense official said. For testing purposes, aircraft from one service may be used by another service. In that case, according to officials, either the A-type or C-type F-35 is sufficient.
Differences between the F-35C and A include the former’s basket refueling versus the latter’s boom refueling, as well as the F-35C’s “ailerons and folding wings, larger wing and tail area, and stronger landing gear and tailhook,” the spokesperson told Military Times.
