LM F-35 GM Weekly Update 27 Oct 2016 Jeff Babione
"F-35B DT-III...
...The success of DT-I showed the world how impressive this aircraft is, and since then, we haven’t looked back. Next week, the test team once again heads out to the open seas to accomplish the final shipboard test detachment for the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) test program.
The plan for DT-III is fairly straightforward: expand the shipboard operating envelope to full operational capability. This requires the team to expand night operations, high-winds and-high sea states as well as test a variety of internal and external stores loads. The two stars of the detachment are BF-1 and BF-5, who operated during DT-II, and have accounted for a majority of the more than 1,100 vertical landings and nearly 2,200 short takeoffs for the SDD program....
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Lightning Carrier Proof of Concept
"During the same deployment, the Marine Corps is taking this opportunity to complete the “Lightning Carrier Proof of Concept” demonstration to assess what the support of various Marine Corps aircraft, including 12 F-35Bs, two MV-22Bs, and two H-1 helicopters entails, and to develop the concept of operations for future shipboard deployments. In addition to testing the operational suitability and effectiveness of the F-35B, they will conduct several mission sets such as strike missions, close-air support and armed reconnaissance missions...."
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