F-35C Lightning II Catapult Launch On Aircraft Carrier USS Nimitz F-35C Lightning II carrier variant Joint Strike Fighters launch from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) off the coast of San Diego. The launches and recoveries are part of initial at-sea Developmental Testing I (DT-I) for the F-35C. The F-35C is the carrier variant (CV) of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter