U.S. Marines Declare Lockheed’s F-35B Ready for Limited Combat

The Marine Corps declared its version of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 fighter ready for limited combat operations, a milestone for the Pentagon’s costliest weapons program.

“The F-35B’s ability to conduct operations from expeditionary airstrips or sea-based carriers provides our nation with its first fifth-generation strike fighter, which will transform the way we fight and win,” General Joseph Dunford, the Marine Corps commandant, said Friday in an e-mailed statement.