: JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER MILESTONES; 

9 Dec 2000: Boeing X-32A completes simulated carrier landings on a runway on land.

16 Dec: Lockheed Martin X-35B (the carrier variant, designed for arrested landings on the Nimitz-class carriers) makes its first flight. The carrier variant has larger wings, larger control surfaces, ailerons, and a tougher frame to stand the shock of carrier landings.

19 Dec: Boeing X-32A completes first aerial refueling. --Stephen V Cole