STOVL F35's for RAN???
Striking a Deal: UK Purchases Supersonic Stealth Jets
(March 18, 2009) -- On a visit to Washington, Defence Secretary John Hutton has today announced the decision to purchase three Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) test aircraft - the UK's next generation of supersonic stealth fast jets.
This deal marks a significant milestone in the UK's commitment to the Joint Strike Fighter project. Acquisition of JSF will provide the UK with an unrivalled "fifth-generation" tactical air system, designed with stealth characteristics and advanced sensors, and will afford the UK a 'step change' in capability. UK military personnel will work alongside their US counterparts in an initial operational test and evaluation programme for the aircraft.
Defence Secretary John Hutton said:
"The Joint Strike Fighter will form an essential part of our Future Combat Air Capability.
By purchasing three aircraft for testing, we will secure access to the development of the programme. Working alongside their US colleagues, our pilots will gain an unrivalled understanding of this awesome aircraft and its capabilities.
This is a vital programme for UK Defence both for the military and for industry, with over 100 UK companies involved in the programme."
JSF is the aircraft of choice to fulfil MoD's Joint Combat Aircraft requirement and will fly off the two new Royal Navy Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers. The purchase of three test aircraft will enable MOD to move forward in developing the Carrier Strike capability.
MoD is a partner in the JSF programme and is investing GBP2Bn to develop the aircraft. The prime contracts for these aircraft will be placed in the US but the decision to place an order for UK aircraft is equally good news for UK industry. There is significant UK industrial interest in the JSF Programme with over 100 companies involved in the programme, ranging from major UK JSF industrial partners down to lower tier suppliers of composite materials. The potential UK return on investment is substantial.
Source : UK MoD
Three aircraft - that's the order size that you'd expect the NZ Govmint to make!
LM F-35B Exceeds STOVL Thrust Requirement
Hover-Pit Ground Tests Validate Propulsion System and Aircraft Response
(Fort Worth, Texas, April 23, 2009) -- The F-35B Lightning II short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant has demonstrated during testing that it produces excess vertical thrust - more than required to carry out its missions. The tests, conducted on a specially instrumented "hover pit," also validated the performance of aircraft software, controls, thermal management, STOVL-system hardware and other systems.
"The performance level measured was absolutely exceptional," said J.D. McFarlan, Lockheed Martin F-35 Air Vehicle lead. "We demonstrated 41,100 pounds of vertical thrust against our requirement of 40,550 pounds.This means we will deliver excellent margin for the vertical landing and short takeoff performance we've committed to our STOVL customers," he said. Those customers include the U.S. Marine Corps, the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, and the Italian Navy and Air Force.
The F-35B is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney F135 engine driving a Rolls-Royce lift fan. The F135 is the most powerful engine ever flown in a jet fighter.
During hover-pit testing, the aircraft is anchored to a metal grate 14 feet above a sloped concrete floor, separating the jet from ground effect and enabling it to simulate free-air flight. Sensors measure thrust and the aircraft's response to pilot inputs. The testing also demonstrates control of the doors associated with the STOVL propulsion system: engine auxiliary inlet, fan inlet, fan exit, roll posts, and doors that open to enable the Rolls-Royce three-bearing swivel duct to articulate and vector engine thrust. In other tests, metal plates are installed atop the hover-pit grate, enabling engineers to observe and chart the outflow of gases from the propulsion system.
The testing demonstrates functional operation of all systems required for vertical flight, and measures the installed forces and moments on the aircraft during STOVL operations.The hover-pit tests are the final series of ground tests before airborne STOVL testing begins.
"We've demonstrated critical performance such as inlet pressure recovery, pitching moment, rolling and yawing moment, effective vector angles of the exhaust, and control-input response time," said Doug Pearson, vice president of the F-35 Integrated Test Force. "Each of these measurements correlates extremely well with our computer models. The outstanding STOVL performance gives us plenty of confidence to begin in-flight transitions to STOVL-mode flight and ultimately our first vertical landing at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., this summer."
The F-35B is the first aircraft to combine stealth with short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) capability and supersonic speed. The F-35 is a supersonic, multi-role, 5th generation stealth fighter. Three variants derived from a common design, developed together and using the same sustainment infrastructure worldwide, will replace at least 13 types of aircraft for 11 nations initially, making the Lightning II the most cost-effective fighter program in history.
Company Center : Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT)
F-35 Arrives in the UK for Static Testing
(Fort Worth, Texas, April 27, 2009) -- After a three-week ocean voyage, a static-test version of the Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35 Lightning II, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter, has arrived in the United Kingdom. The F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant aircraft, called AG-1, will undergo testing in the Structural and Dynamic Test facility at BAE Systems' site in Brough, East Yorkshire, England.
Mick Ord, BAE Systems' managing director of the F-35 Lightning II business said, "This is another major milestone in the F-35 program and we're delighted to take delivery of the full-scale static testing airframe. BAE Systems is a principal subcontractor to Lockheed Martin on the F-35 program and brings military aircraft expertise that is critical to the F-35 Lightning II airframe and systems. We lead on several work share areas, of which structural testing is one."
AG-1 began its travels on March 27 at Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth, Tex., plant. It was shipped overland to the Texas coast, where it was placed aboard a U.K.-bound cargo ship. AG-1 is one of six static test airframes constructed for the System Development and Demonstration phase of the F-35 Lightning II program, which is developing and validating all of the aircraft's systems and manufacturing techniques. Another 13 F-35s are dedicated to flight testing.
"The work BAE Systems is performing on AG-1 highlights just one of the United Kingdom's many indigenous industrial capabilities that this program relies upon," said Tom Burbage, Lockheed Martin executive vice president and general manager of F-35 Program Integration. "We are conducting the largest-ever test program for a fighter, and the BAE Systems structural test facilities expand our bandwidth and help us maintain our schedule."
Ord added, "BAE Systems is responsible for carrying out a large percentage of the structural and fatigue testing required to qualify all three of the F-35 variants. Some testing has been carried out on smaller components, but this will be among the first of the full airframe tests to be carried out."
The Structural and Dynamic Test Facility at Brough is BAE Systems' center of excellence for structural testing, responsible for providing evidence that airframes meet the design requirements for structural strength and durability.
The F-35 airframe will be connected to a highly complex test rig in which 165 hydraulic actuators will replicate the loads the aircraft would see in flight. The data from the test will be captured by 4,000 sensors bonded to the airframe.
The test rig itself weighs around 365 tons and has approximately 53 miles (85km) of wiring spread around it to connect all the systems and sensors. The computing power available to control the load applications is roughly the equivalent of 25 high-specification personal computers.
Testing is planned to begin in late July and will take about 15 months, certifying the strength of the airframe and its components and contributing to the aircraft's flight envelope expansion requirements. Upon completion of its static testing program, AG-1 will be shipped back to the U.S.
The F-35 is being built in three variants: conventional takeoff and landing, short takeoff/ vertical landing (STOVL) and carrier variant (CV). CTOL and CV durability airframe tests will also be undertaken at BAE Systems Brough site. Static testing of other F-35 airframes is under way at Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth facility.
In March, the U.K. Ministry of Defence announced it intends to order three instrumented STOVL F-35 Lightning II test aircraft and associated support equipment for Operational Test and Evaluation purposes.
Company Center : Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT)
F-35 Test Plane Flies Over Eglin
(Eglin AFB, Fla., April 27, 2009) -- The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter test aircraft arrived here April 21 to educate the base and local community about the Department of Defense and world's newest fighter.
The arrival of the test F-35, called AA-1, kicked off a week full of events to showcase the aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base.
"We are very proud to host these JSF events," said Col. Arnold Bunch, the Air Armament Center vice commander. "We hope everyone has a chance to see the aircraft, ask questions and get a better understanding of its importance. This is the future of Eglin and of the Air Force."
Along with the aircraft, Lockheed Martin brought a cockpit demo, simulators and subject matter experts to give the base and community leaders a firsthand look at the cockpit and what it would feel like to fly the fifth generation fighter.
"What starts at Eglin, will change the world," said Dan Crowley, a senior Lockheed Martin.
Those in attendance here had an opportunity to see the $44 million fighter take flight over the base and local area during a sortie April 23. It cruised in the sky with two F-16 Fighting Falcon chase aircraft before passing over the runway for some touch-and-go maneuvers. Afterward, it was parked by the McKinley Climatic Lab for viewing on base.
Marine Brig. Gen. David Heinz, the program executive officer for the JSF program, stressed the importance of the aircraft to troops on the ground.
"The warfighters, the best and brightest of all our nations called to duty and asked to stand out on the very edge -- the pointy edge -- they are relying on us to deliver a safe, effective and affordable product," the general said.
Nine countries and three U.S. services have orders for the new aircraft and they all will pass through Eglin AFB to learn to fly the F-35.
The 33rd Fighter Wing will transition from an operational fighter unit into a joint training unit in October to educate and train the pilots. The first of the new fighters are scheduled to arrive here in March 2010.
Company Center : US Air Force
A New Era for Navy Aviation is on the Way
(May 12, 2009) -- The Minister for Defence, the Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon MP, today reinforced the strategic importance of the Navy's Fleet Air Arm at HMAS Albatross, and foreshadowed a substantial increase in infrastructure investment on the base following the release of the 2009 Defence White Paper.
Mr Fitzgibbon toured the base and met with aircrew and maintainers from 817 Squadron, who are planning for the impending retirement of the ageing fleet of six SK-50 Sea King helicopters, which will be replaced by six advanced new MRH-90 multi-role helicopters in 2011.
During his visit, Mr Fitzgibbon observed that construction had commenced on the building of dedicated new hangers and maintenance facilities ahead of the arrival of the first of the new MRH-90s.
"This $38 million investment will ensure that HMAS Albatross has first-class facilities to operate and maintain these advanced new MRH-90s, and the construction phase will also create new job opportunities in the Nowra and Shoalhaven region," Mr Fitzgibbon said.
In recognition of the ongoing strategic importance of the Naval Air Station to Defence's future capability needs, the Government will invest $130 million into upgrading base infrastructure under the Albatross Stage 3 Redevelopment Project, which will commence in 2010.
While at HMAS Albatross, the Minister also toured 816 Squadron and spoke with the aircrew and maintainers of the current fleet of 16 S-70B Seahawk helicopters about the Government's plans to acquire a fleet of at least 24 new naval combat helicopters, as outlined in the 2009 Defence White Paper.
"The White Paper outlines the Government's commitment to rectify the shortfalls in Navy's current naval combat aviation as a matter of urgency. These 24 new aircraft will boost Navy's anti-submarine warfare capabilities while also possessing potent air-launched torpedoes and anti-ship missiles," Mr Fitzgibbon said.
"Albatross remains central to the Government's plans to rebuild and revitalize Navy's aviation capabilities after the difficult times that have fallen upon them in recent years. Today is as much about recognising and thanking the men and women of the Navy's Fleet Air Arm for their service, while reassuring them that they have a crucial role in our plans to build a stronger and more capable Defence Force for the 21st century," Mr Fitzgibbon concluded.
Source : MoD Australia
Nothing in that statement about STOVL F-35's for the two new "Aircraft Carriers"
Mr Fitzgibbon toured the base and met with aircrew and maintainers from 817 Squadron, who are planning for the impending retirement of the ageing fleet of six SK-50 Sea King helicopters, which will be replaced by six advanced new MRH-90 multi-role helicopters in 2011.
During his visit, Mr Fitzgibbon observed that construction had commenced on the building of dedicated new hangers and maintenance facilities ahead of the arrival of the first of the new MRH-90s.
"This $38 million investment will ensure that HMAS Albatross has first-class facilities to operate and maintain these advanced new MRH-90s, and the construction phase will also create new job opportunities in the Nowra and Shoalhaven region," Mr Fitzgibbon said.
In recognition of the ongoing strategic importance of the Naval Air Station to Defence's future capability needs, the Government will invest $130 million into upgrading base infrastructure under the Albatross Stage 3 Redevelopment Project, which will commence in 2010.
While at HMAS Albatross, the Minister also toured 816 Squadron and spoke with the aircrew and maintainers of the current fleet of 16 S-70B Seahawk helicopters about the Government's plans to acquire a fleet of at least 24 new naval combat helicopters, as outlined in the 2009 Defence White Paper.
"The White Paper outlines the Government's commitment to rectify the shortfalls in Navy's current naval combat aviation as a matter of urgency. These 24 new aircraft will boost Navy's anti-submarine warfare capabilities while also possessing potent air-launched torpedoes and anti-ship missiles," Mr Fitzgibbon said.
"Albatross remains central to the Government's plans to rebuild and revitalize Navy's aviation capabilities after the difficult times that have fallen upon them in recent years. Today is as much about recognising and thanking the men and women of the Navy's Fleet Air Arm for their service, while reassuring them that they have a crucial role in our plans to build a stronger and more capable Defence Force for the 21st century," Mr Fitzgibbon concluded.
Source : MoD Australia
Nothing in that statement about STOVL F-35's for the two new "Aircraft Carriers"
Lockheed Martin unveils 1st F-35C stealth Fighter for US Navy
(Ft. Worth, TX., July 28, 2009) -- A ceremony today at Lockheed Martin's [NYSE: LMT] Fort Worth plant marked the rollout of the U.S. Navy's first-ever stealth fighter, the F-35C Lightning II. The aircraft will enable the Navy to possess 5th generation fighter capabilities at sea, extending America's reach and reducing the timeline from threat to response.
Top Navy leadership, signal flags and a crowd of employees, including reserve and retired Navy personnel, were on hand to celebrate the strike fighter's unveiling. Adm. Gary Roughead, the U.S. Navy's Chief of Naval Operations, welcomed the new aircraft to the fleet.
"The JSF will show the world that our Sailors will never be in a fair fight because this airplane will top anything that comes its way," Roughead said of the F-35. "It will give our Sailors and pilots the tactical and technical advantage in the skies, and it will relieve our aircraft as they age out."
Tom Burbage, a former Navy test pilot and the executive vice president and general manager of F-35 Program Integration for Lockheed Martin, thanked Navy leadership for being fully engaged in the F-35's development and "actively working to define joint and coalition tactics that will exploit this platform in ways we've never envisioned. We at Lockheed Martin are both proud and humbled by the trust the U.S. Navy has placed with us to lead the development and introduction of the Navy's newest stealthy, supersonic strike fighter."
The first F-35C, known as CF-1, will undergo a wide-ranging series of ground tests before its first flight, scheduled for late 2009. CF-1 is the ninth F-35 test aircraft to be rolled out, and joins a fleet of F-35A (conventional takeoff and landing) and F-35B (short takeoff/vertical landing) variants that have logged more than 100 flights.
The F-35C is on schedule to meet the Navy's Initial Operational Capability in 2015, and represents a leap in technology and capability over existing fighters, combining stealth with supersonic speed and high agility. The Lightning II employs the most powerful and comprehensive sensor package ever incorporated into a fighter.
The F-35C possesses uncompromised carrier suitability and low-maintenance stealth materials designed for long-term durability in the carrier environment. The Lightning II's operational and support costs are forecast to be lower than those of the fighters it will replace.
The F-35 and F-22 are the world's only 5th generation fighters, uniquely characterized by a combination of advanced stealth with supersonic speed and high agility, sensor fusion, network-enabled capabilities and advanced sustainment. The F-35 is a supersonic, multi-role, 5th generation strike fighter. Three F-35 variants derived from a common design, developed together and using the same sustainment infrastructure worldwide, will replace at least 13 types of aircraft for 11 nations initially, making the Lightning II the most cost-effective fighter program in history.
Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Two separate, interchangeable F-35 engines are under development: the Pratt & Whitney F135 and the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team F136.
Source : Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT)
F-35 Brings Unique 5th Generation Capabilities
"The F-35 is the only multi-role fighter designed for survivability in the highest-threat environments"
(Seoul, South Korea, October 23, 2009) -- The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35 Lightning II program is the only fighter program delivering 5th generation capabilities internationally, a Lockheed Martin executive said Tuesday at the Seoul Air Show.
"The F-35's 5th generation capabilities, including Very Low Observable stealth, integrated sensor fusion, net-enabled operations and advanced sustainment, make it the premiere fighter of the future," said Stephen O'Bryan, vice president of F-35 Business Development and Customer Engagement. "The F-35 is the only multi-role fighter designed for survivability in the highest-threat environments, and it provides superior capability at comparable 4th generation fighter costs."
The theme of O'Bryan's presentation, "Global Partners Building Global Security," reflects the high level of international participation and cooperation on the Joint Strike Fighter program. The F-35 will replace more than 13 aircraft types and enable allies to conduct seamless, integrated operations. Throughout its lifecycle, the F-35 will create enduring industrial relationships, from the production and global delivery systems to worldwide operation and support via Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment (ALGS).
F-35 ALGS, developed in parallel with the aircraft and its systems, defines the F-35's total life-cycle sustainment system. In combination with the F-35's high level of reliability, ALGS is designed to reduce support costs significantly over the aircraft types it will replace. This embedded aircraft support system simplifies and streamlines maintenance, providing prognostics and health management to keep the aircraft mission-ready, using a worldwide support network and infrastructure. Recently, the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) began monitoring BF-1, the first short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft, from the Lockheed Martin F-35 Sustainment Operations Center in Fort Worth, Texas. BF-1 is the first F-35 supported solely by ALIS.
The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations, and lower operational and support costs. Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Two separate, interchangeable F-35 engines are under development: the Pratt & Whitney F135 and the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team F136.
Source : Lockheed Martin Corporation
Vought Test Lab Performs Series of Drop Tests on F-35C for LM
This 'drop test' is done to simulate a landing on an aircraft carrier
(Dallas, May 7, 2010) -- The anticipation was palpable as Vought engineers and our customer watched Lockheed Martin's F-35C Lightning II Carrier Variant dangle from its harnessed position just below the rafters in building 94 at the Jefferson Street site. When the wheels reached their 138 knot speed, the countdown began. 10, 9, 8, 7... The lanyard releasing the quick release safety latch was pulled and the jet was dropped. It was over in five brief seconds.
. As a fighter jet approaches the deck of a carrier, forty-six thousand pounds of airplane is traveling at 138 knots and hitting the deck with a thud, stressing the airframe and especially the jet's landing gear with thousands of pounds of pressure. Every part of the gear must withstand that tremendous stress time after time with no structural failure.
So how can we assure that the gear is suitable for carrier landings, and there won't be any catastrophic failures? How do we prove that the design engineering was correct? That's where Vought's Test Lab comes in. The lab is capable of lifting a fully-loaded, fullscale aircraft up to eleven feet above the floor ... and dropping it. Lockheed Martin has contracted with us to drop test the F-35C Lightning II Carrier Variant, a fifth-generation, single-seat, single-engine stealth fighter.
Hundreds of wires snake along the sleek lines of the light green jet, connected to an array of instruments that are streaming signals back to a computer for correlation to computer models that engineers spent many months designing. This data acquisition system is measuring every quiver, shudder, and pulse that is emitted from the test jet. Technically speaking, however, F-35 Drop Test Director Tom Foster says they are measuring strain, acceleration, deflection and load data. This is where the rubber meets the flight deck, so to speak.
There are 512 data channels connected to this aircraft. Twenty-five hundred data samples are gathered per second per channel during each drop test for this aircraft. Per Eric Moore, Test Control and Data Acquisition group lead, high speed video of each landing gear is simultaneously recorded at two thousand frames per second and synchronized with the aircraft test data for post-test, image-to-data correlation. In other words, each high speed video picture can be directly compared to the load and deflection data measured and recorded on each landing gear. This was not possible in the old days when high speed film-based cameras and analog recording equipment was used in this application.
Eventually, there will be about 53 landing gear drop tests at various aircraft roll, pitch and landing sync rates performed on this one jet. A stack of bombs in the corner of the room awaits their turn alongside a row of missiles to be loaded onto the jet to test for maximum landing weight conditions. Of course, they are dummy ordnance but they are fabricated to weigh in as a real load.
Today, Vought is one of only two test labs remaining in the United States that has full-scale carrier suitability drop test capabilities. The other is at Boeing, St. Louis. According to John Vaught, Test Lab Manager, the F-35 Drop Test Program in total represents a very high level of complexity generally not seen on previous drop test programs. "The ability and know-how to do these drop tests are very unique," he said.
With the level and type of test capabilities the labs possess, Vought has a long, and very reputable history of accomplishing carrier suitability testing for the Navy, said John. "We can go all the way back to the XC-142, F-8, A-7, S3A, and now the F-35. All of these legacy aircraft programs required fullscale drop testing to qualify for aircraft carrier operations. Full-scale dynamic tests of this nature present a very complex test set of problems to run," he said.
The F-35 tests at Vought should be completed within the next few months; then it will go back to Lockheed Martin for a series of additional tests. They estimate that the Carrier Variant F-35C will attain first flight in the second quarter of 2010.
Source : Vought Aircraft Industries
(Dallas, May 7, 2010) -- The anticipation was palpable as Vought engineers and our customer watched Lockheed Martin's F-35C Lightning II Carrier Variant dangle from its harnessed position just below the rafters in building 94 at the Jefferson Street site. When the wheels reached their 138 knot speed, the countdown began. 10, 9, 8, 7... The lanyard releasing the quick release safety latch was pulled and the jet was dropped. It was over in five brief seconds.
. As a fighter jet approaches the deck of a carrier, forty-six thousand pounds of airplane is traveling at 138 knots and hitting the deck with a thud, stressing the airframe and especially the jet's landing gear with thousands of pounds of pressure. Every part of the gear must withstand that tremendous stress time after time with no structural failure.
So how can we assure that the gear is suitable for carrier landings, and there won't be any catastrophic failures? How do we prove that the design engineering was correct? That's where Vought's Test Lab comes in. The lab is capable of lifting a fully-loaded, fullscale aircraft up to eleven feet above the floor ... and dropping it. Lockheed Martin has contracted with us to drop test the F-35C Lightning II Carrier Variant, a fifth-generation, single-seat, single-engine stealth fighter.
Hundreds of wires snake along the sleek lines of the light green jet, connected to an array of instruments that are streaming signals back to a computer for correlation to computer models that engineers spent many months designing. This data acquisition system is measuring every quiver, shudder, and pulse that is emitted from the test jet. Technically speaking, however, F-35 Drop Test Director Tom Foster says they are measuring strain, acceleration, deflection and load data. This is where the rubber meets the flight deck, so to speak.
There are 512 data channels connected to this aircraft. Twenty-five hundred data samples are gathered per second per channel during each drop test for this aircraft. Per Eric Moore, Test Control and Data Acquisition group lead, high speed video of each landing gear is simultaneously recorded at two thousand frames per second and synchronized with the aircraft test data for post-test, image-to-data correlation. In other words, each high speed video picture can be directly compared to the load and deflection data measured and recorded on each landing gear. This was not possible in the old days when high speed film-based cameras and analog recording equipment was used in this application.
Eventually, there will be about 53 landing gear drop tests at various aircraft roll, pitch and landing sync rates performed on this one jet. A stack of bombs in the corner of the room awaits their turn alongside a row of missiles to be loaded onto the jet to test for maximum landing weight conditions. Of course, they are dummy ordnance but they are fabricated to weigh in as a real load.
Today, Vought is one of only two test labs remaining in the United States that has full-scale carrier suitability drop test capabilities. The other is at Boeing, St. Louis. According to John Vaught, Test Lab Manager, the F-35 Drop Test Program in total represents a very high level of complexity generally not seen on previous drop test programs. "The ability and know-how to do these drop tests are very unique," he said.
With the level and type of test capabilities the labs possess, Vought has a long, and very reputable history of accomplishing carrier suitability testing for the Navy, said John. "We can go all the way back to the XC-142, F-8, A-7, S3A, and now the F-35. All of these legacy aircraft programs required fullscale drop testing to qualify for aircraft carrier operations. Full-scale dynamic tests of this nature present a very complex test set of problems to run," he said.
The F-35 tests at Vought should be completed within the next few months; then it will go back to Lockheed Martin for a series of additional tests. They estimate that the Carrier Variant F-35C will attain first flight in the second quarter of 2010.
Source : Vought Aircraft Industries
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LM F-35 Fighters Arrive Together At Edwards AFB
The arrival is the first in a series that will increase the Edwards F-35 test fleet to at least eight aircraft
(Edwards AFB, Calif., May 17, 2010) -- Two Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters flew nonstop from their final-assembly site in Fort Worth, Texas, to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., today, signaling a further expansion of F-35 flight test operations. The arrival is the first in a series that will increase the Edwards F-35 test fleet to at least eight aircraft.
U.S. Air Force Test Pilot Lt. Col. Hank "Hog" Griffiths and Lockheed Martin Chief Test Pilot Jon Beesley flew the jets, known as AF-1 and AF-2, nonstop in the first multi-ship, long-range F-35 flight.
"The ferry flight went very smoothly, and reflects how the Air Force and Lockheed Martin will work cooperatively as we enter long-term F-35 testing at Edwards," Beesley said. During the jets' deployment to Edwards, the F-35s will undergo ground- and flight-test activities for propulsion, aerial refueling, logistical support, weapons integration and flight-envelope expansion.
"Through rigorous flight testing we are developing dominant and lethal 5th generation fighter capability for America and her allies," said Doug Pearson, Lockheed Martin vice president of F-35 test and verification. "This historic moment at Edwards Air Force Base begins the planned expansion of F-35 flight test to a third permanent operating location. Lockheed Martin F-35A flight testing is a highly integrated partnership with the United States Air Force." Three F-35s are currently undergoing flight trials at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., the primary test site for the F-35B short takeoff/ vertical landing variant and the F-35C carrier variant. F-35s have conducted more than 200 test flights, with six additional test aircraft scheduled to begin flying and deploying to the two test sites this year.
The F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant - designed to meet U.S. Air Force requirements - is also the primary export version of the Lightning II. The air forces of Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway will employ the F-35A.
F-35 test aircraft are supported by the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) and managed by the Lockheed Martin F-35 Sustainment Operations Center in Fort Worth. ALIS is the worldwide support system reporting and recording the prognostics and health of all F-35s around the globe to ensure mission readiness.
The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations, advanced sustainment, and lower operational and support costs. Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Two separate, interchangeable F-35 engines are under development: the Pratt & Whitney F135 and the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team F136.
Source : Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT)
(Edwards AFB, Calif., May 17, 2010) -- Two Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters flew nonstop from their final-assembly site in Fort Worth, Texas, to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., today, signaling a further expansion of F-35 flight test operations. The arrival is the first in a series that will increase the Edwards F-35 test fleet to at least eight aircraft.
U.S. Air Force Test Pilot Lt. Col. Hank "Hog" Griffiths and Lockheed Martin Chief Test Pilot Jon Beesley flew the jets, known as AF-1 and AF-2, nonstop in the first multi-ship, long-range F-35 flight.
"The ferry flight went very smoothly, and reflects how the Air Force and Lockheed Martin will work cooperatively as we enter long-term F-35 testing at Edwards," Beesley said. During the jets' deployment to Edwards, the F-35s will undergo ground- and flight-test activities for propulsion, aerial refueling, logistical support, weapons integration and flight-envelope expansion.
"Through rigorous flight testing we are developing dominant and lethal 5th generation fighter capability for America and her allies," said Doug Pearson, Lockheed Martin vice president of F-35 test and verification. "This historic moment at Edwards Air Force Base begins the planned expansion of F-35 flight test to a third permanent operating location. Lockheed Martin F-35A flight testing is a highly integrated partnership with the United States Air Force." Three F-35s are currently undergoing flight trials at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., the primary test site for the F-35B short takeoff/ vertical landing variant and the F-35C carrier variant. F-35s have conducted more than 200 test flights, with six additional test aircraft scheduled to begin flying and deploying to the two test sites this year.
The F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant - designed to meet U.S. Air Force requirements - is also the primary export version of the Lightning II. The air forces of Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway will employ the F-35A.
F-35 test aircraft are supported by the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) and managed by the Lockheed Martin F-35 Sustainment Operations Center in Fort Worth. ALIS is the worldwide support system reporting and recording the prognostics and health of all F-35s around the globe to ensure mission readiness.
The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations, advanced sustainment, and lower operational and support costs. Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Two separate, interchangeable F-35 engines are under development: the Pratt & Whitney F135 and the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team F136.
Source : Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT)
