The Pentagon said F-35 fighter jet hit its first ground target in a delivery test. The fighter plane dropped the laser-guided Guided Bomb Unit-12 Paveway II bomb from a height of 25,000 feet. It took all of 35 seconds to hit a tank at the Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Marine Corps Major Richard Rusnok said, "This guided weapons delivery test of a GBU-12 marks the first time the F-35 truly became a weapon system. It represents another step forward in development of this vital program." He was the pilot who flew the plane fighter jet for the testing.

The Marine Corps would be scheduled to start using the planes developed by Lockheed Martin Corp for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program in 2015. Despite reduced defense spending, Lockheed still posted an increase in its net income for the first quarter. It increased by 13.9% to USD 761 million. Net sales, however, decreased 2% to USD 11.07 billion.