Originally Posted by
ACW342
Ahh, you mean like the lift engines on the Short SC1 in the Ulster Folk and Transport museum just up the road. The engines that were shut down in forward flight and added nothing other than lots of weight and were only used again at the end of the flight to land, like them lift engines?
A342
ACW, perhaps I can offer the following thoughts.
Yes, the F-35B has a lift fan (a bit like a lift engine, yes), and yes, when it's shut down in forward flight it does add weight and yes, it's only used again at the end of the flight. Of course, the end of an F-35B flight is a bit different, because it requires zero airspeed to do a vertical landing and land on a ship, which is one of the key requirements that the UK signed up to. To do that, you need a powered lift system. It's what will allow the F-35B to operate from a range of warships including LHDs and other small carriers.
A powered lift system also allows landings (and take offs) using short strips, as the USMC required it to do. I suppose that might be useful one day. Actually, thinking about it, the F-35B's not exactly like the SC1, because the main engine also provides powered lift. That reduces the amount of 'dead' weight by quite a bit. And helps make the F-35B a very serious combat aircraft. Hope this helps explain things
Best Regards as ever to all those working so damned hard to give the UK a serious maritime aviation capability.
Engines