Local officials get good look at Navy's newest fighter jet, the F-35C as it visits Lemoore

The newest Navy jet made its first appearance ever at Naval Air Station Lemoore on Tuesday, providing a local contingent of reporters, Navy brass and local officials a close-up look.

A pair of jet fighters were supposed to fly in Tuesday night, but bad weather, including dust storms here in the Valley, grounded the airplanes until Wednesday. 

Lemoore will eventually be the home base for about 100 of the new jets, as the first is tentatively slated to arrive in 2017. The F-35 has several versions, one each for the Navy, Air Force and Marines Corps. At $400 billion, the cost of the airplanes is the government's most expensive program. The Navy will spend millions more building new hangars and modifying existing ones to house the new jet.

Lockheed Martin is the manufacturer of the Navy version of the strike fighter.