The U.S. Navy completed flight testing of the Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter on board the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on October 9.

The two-week testing period featured the F-35C being armed with weapons for the first time, which included the GBU-31 and AMRAAM missiles, according to IHS Janes. The test marks the second time the fighter was tested at sea as top U.S. military officials continue to voice mixed feelings on the future of the Navy's most expensive jet to date.

Test pilots also flew with the new Rockwell Collins Gen III Helmet Mounted Display System, and stored the 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition in the right-hand weapons bay, with the AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile stored in both bays.

Two F-35s were used in the test, conducted about 100 miles off the coast of Virginia. Trials were repeated, adjusting for different levels of speed and weight added to the jets.

The U.S. Navy plans to use Lockheed Martin's F-35C to replace the F-18 Hornet in 2018. A different version of the F-35 are already in use by the Marine Corps, and the Air Force variant is scheduled for summer of 2016. Military officials have criticized the F-35 for not being suitable for dogfights. Rear Adm. J.R. Haley, commander of Naval Air Force Atlantic, disputes these claims, saying the jet would perform well against enemy jets up close.

"It's not about stealthy. It's about the entire air frame itself and what it brings to the fight," Haley told The Daily Press. "And bringing that up and down off the carrier provides the country with huge, huge benefits and a lot of latitude of where we operate that air platform."

The program has also been criticized for its cost. The Pentagon has allotted a $400 billion budget for the F-35, including delays in development.