This is really quite good news. The guys at Fort Worth have been deliberately conservative on their VL thrust predictions, given the challenges faced by the lift fan and the entire propulsion system. If true, a 1.3% improvement on predicted is quite significant and will ease a number of concerns.
Well one to everyone over there - especially the really talented Brit team who are playing a central role in the STOVL programme.
Next event to watch for is BF-1 going over to Pax River to continue the STOVL work.
Best Regards
Engines