Initial Operational Capability (IOC)
USMC’s first East Coast F-35B unit declared operational
The USMC formally declared its first East Coast-based F-35B Lightning II squadron operational when Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 542 (VMFA-542) ‘Tigers’ – a component of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) – achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC) at MCAS Cherry Point in North Carolina on February 5
US Navy’s unmanned MQ-4C Triton fleet achieves IOC
Northrop Grumman’s MQ-4C Triton HALE UAV achieved Initial Operational Capability with the US Navy in early September
Canada's CC-295 programme suffers as IOC delayed by up to four years
The initial operational capability date for the Royal Canadian Air Force’s growing fleet of new Airbus CC-295 Kingfisher fixed-wing search and rescue aircraft has been delayed from this summer to the 2025-2026 timeframe