F-35 project expansion boosts capabilities at Fleet Readiness Center East
NewsJanuary 27, 2025

CHERRY POINT, North Carolina. Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) marked the completion of its F-35 Lightning II expansion project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 14, the U.S. Navy announced in a statement.
The expanded facility provides additional space and aircraft bays to accommodate the growing workload associated with F-35 modifications and maintenance. The depot, which has supported the F-35 program since 2013, serves as the lead site for depot-level maintenance of the Marine Corps’ F-35B short takeoff-vertical landing variant and also performs work on the Air Force’s F-35A and Navy’s F-35C carrier variants, the statement reads.
The expansion is expected to support 337,000 additional labor hours through fiscal year 2028 to help meet the increasing demands of the F-35 program. To date, FRCE has inducted 158 F-35 aircraft and returned 145 to operational service. The facility continues to expand its capabilities, including testing and repairing F-35 components and performing specialized tasks such as the assembly of lift fan clutches.