US Navy amphibious ship to get joint strike fighter capability following upgrades
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BAE Systems\u2019 Norfolk shipyard has received a US$204.1 million US Navy contract to provide maintenance services aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship (LHD) USS Iwo Jima<\/em>.<\/p>\n Under the selected restricted availability (SRA) contract awarded, BAE Systems will upgrade shipboard systems to accommodate F-35B Lightning II short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) joint strike fighter flight operations.<\/p>\n Work aboard the LHD will begin in August 2026.<\/p>\n Although Iwo Jima<\/em> can embark AV-8B Harrier II fixed-wing STOVL aircraft in addition to helicopters and MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, the ship is not certified to conduct routine F-35B flight operations in her current configuration.<\/p>\n Upgrades to the LHD will include modifications to some of her key features such as flight deck infrastructure and support facilities.<\/p>\n Commissioned in 2001, the ship was also used to temporarily hold former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife after they were captured<\/a> in a large-scale strike conducted by US forces earlier this year. They were later transferred to the United States, where Mr Maduro faces charges of electoral fraud and facilitating narco-terrorism.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n