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F-35C fighter jets operated by the US Marine Corps have been deployed for combat missions against Houthi rebels in Yemen, according to a Pentagon press briefing. The aircraft took off from the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) aircraft carrier, marking what could be their first combat use. "This appears to be one of the first combat outings, if not the first, for carrier-based C variants of the F-35 belonging to either the Marines or the U.S. Navy," reported The War Zone.
The airstrikes were conducted between November 9 and 10 on Houthi weapons storage facilities in northern Yemen. These facilities contained advanced conventional weapons used by Iranian-backed Houthis to target military and civilian vessels in international waters, as stated by Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder. "Central Command [CENTCOM] forces executed a series of precise airstrikes...involved U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy assets, to include F-35C fighter aircraft,” he added.
The War Zone noted that while Maj. Gen. Ryder mentioned Navy F-35Cs, they are likely Marine Corps aircraft from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 (VWFA-314), known as the "Black Knights." A video released by CENTCOM featured an F-35C alongside other aircraft taking part in these strikes.
