Aviation Week’s Pentagon Editor Lara Seligman joined the U.S. Navy aboard the USS George Washington Aug. 16 just off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia, for the final phase of developmental testing of the F-35C carrier variant.

This three-week test period is a significant milestone for the Joint Strike Fighter program, marking the first time test pilots will fly the jets with external weapons. The pilots will fly the F-35Cs in its final 3F warfighting configuration, equipped with GBU-12, GBU-21 and GBU-32 laser-guided bombs.