Arthur Tomassetti (born 1964) is a retired United States Marine Corps colonel, combat veteran, and test pilot who is notable for his work on the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and F‑35 Lightning II.

Tomassetti was the pilot of the first-ever mission to combine short takeoff, level supersonic dash, and vertical landing in a single flight.

[2] NASA's early astronauts were selected from the ranks of military test pilots,[3] and Tomassetti felt that following this path could increase his chances of success.

Tomassetti graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and a commission in the United States Marine Corps (USMC).

With the squadron of twenty AV-8Bs, Tomassetti flew from North Carolina to southern Bahrain and arrived at Sheik Isa Air Base on August 21.

He spent the next two months preparing for combat by flying training missions and "standing alerts" in which pilots took turns sitting in or near their armed aircraft, ready to scramble on short notice in the event of hostilities.

[6] The squadron moved closer to the expected area of conflict on November 4–5, repositioning to the King Abdul Aziz Naval Base and airfield complex in Saudi Arabia near the Kuwaiti border.

Tomassetti and the squadron continued to fly training sorties with a focus on close air support missions intended to protect ground troops that would soon engage enemy forces.

In 1992, he attended the USMC Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma and conveyed these lessons to the pilots of VMA-542 and VMA-513.

[2] He attended the United States Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland, and graduated with class 112 in December 1997.

[5] Tomassetti's next assignment was anticipated to be testing updates to legacy aircraft, but he unexpectedly received an offer to join the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) effort.

The scope of the effort was considerable, intended to replace a wide range of existing fighter, strike and ground attack aircraft, including the Air Force's F‑16s and A-10s; the Marine Corps' AV-8Bs, F/A-18s, and EA-6Bs; and the Navy's F/A-18A/B/C/Ds.

[11] In 1998, Tomassetti was assigned as a test pilot with the "Salty Dogs" of VX-23 and started work with the Lockheed Martin (LM) team that was building the X-35.

[13][16] On February 10, 2001, he flew the X‑35C from Fort Worth, Texas, to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland,[12] completing the second and final leg of the first cross-country flight of a JSF demonstrator.

[17] The Patuxent River facility, located at sea level, reproduced aircraft carrier conditions more closely than the high desert of Edwards AFB.

He thus became the first pilot to fly an aircraft in three regimes of flight (short takeoff, supersonic dash, and vertical landing) in a single sortie.

As the US Marine representative, Tomassetti stayed with the program where he prepared flight test plans, improved cockpit controls and displays, and developed operating manuals.

Having experienced the difficulties of flying the Harrier during the Gulf War, he looked for opportunities to ensure that F-35 pilots could spend more time focused on combat rather than routine flight actions.

[30] In 2003, Tomassetti appeared on the Discovery HD show, Secrets of Future Air Power, and described the stealth, ground attack, and data networking capabilities of the F‑35.

[34] At the Integrated Training Center, the 33rd FW team had the modern, all-electronic classrooms ready in June 2010 including the first F-35 mission rehearsal trainer—a replica of the F-35 cockpit that used the same software as the actual jet.

[46] In Tomassetti's four years as 33rd Fighter Wing vice commander,[14] 50 pilots and 722 maintainers graduated from the F-35 training center while the team grew to 1,900 personnel drawn from three US military services, multiple contractors, and a number of international partners.

[49] Despite the price tag, Tomassetti felt the aircraft's capabilities, such as improved data fusion and airborne networking, increased pilot effectiveness and were required to win future battles.

And his experience as a combat pilot showed that well-trained service members would adapt and succeed even if the aircraft was not ideally suited to the mission.

[52]: 10  Tomassetti noted that "It is not about tests; it is about mission success",[52]: 11  and predicted "They are going to find out ways to do things with this airplane that we haven’t even thought of.

[63] An enthusiastic speaker, Tomassetti presented aviation topics to many diverse groups including veterans,[64] Civil Air Patrol,[61]: 5  and NASA.

[62] In 2000, Tomassetti began a long association with the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP), initially to improve his work proficiency.