F-35 Cancelled, then what ?
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I'm reminded of the FORRESTAL/ENTERPRISE fires many years ago now. Will RN carry out hot loads aboard CVF?
Hot loading F-35B: MAWTS-1 ordnance innovation sets new standard > The Official United States Marine Corps Public Website > News Display
Hot loading F-35B: MAWTS-1 ordnance innovation sets new standard > The Official United States Marine Corps Public Website > News Display
FOD Plod. I accept your point about Tyhpoon conversion to carrier capable. The reason I made that comment is that when I worked on the Eurofighter programme during the development days, I was aware that there was interest from Australia to have such a capability and that was one of the reasons that the Thrust Vectoring Nozzle was designed. My main point though was the massive cost versus the very many indifferent reports about F35 performance and ultimate capability.
Given that HMAS Melbourne decommissioned in 1982 and that in 1983 the Australian Government announced she would not be replaced, I'd suggest that "interest" was at best wishful thinking. Particularly during Typhoon development......
"Massive cost" can be a very subjective term.
Straight from the last MPR report, the biggest Air and Maritime projects (Land not included as equipment costs tend to be much lower cf manpower) :
A400M - £2.7Bn
Typhoon - £18Bn
FSTA - £11.4Bn
Marshall - £1.8Bn
Total - ~£34Bn
F35 (a "joint" asset) - £5Bn (yes it'll be a much higher figure eventually)
QEC - £6.2Bn
T26 - not published in MPR but statements indicate £8Bn
T45 - £6Bn
Astute - £9.6Bn
MARS - £0.5Bn
Total ~ £35Bn
QEC doesn't even make fourth on the list. QEC + F35 is about 16% of the combined total. Typhoon on its own is 26%.
A very simplistic analysis admittedly and doesn't include the monster that is Successor among other things. Spreading that spend out over time would also be very instructive.
"Massive cost" can be a very subjective term.
Straight from the last MPR report, the biggest Air and Maritime projects (Land not included as equipment costs tend to be much lower cf manpower) :
A400M - £2.7Bn
Typhoon - £18Bn
FSTA - £11.4Bn
Marshall - £1.8Bn
Total - ~£34Bn
F35 (a "joint" asset) - £5Bn (yes it'll be a much higher figure eventually)
QEC - £6.2Bn
T26 - not published in MPR but statements indicate £8Bn
T45 - £6Bn
Astute - £9.6Bn
MARS - £0.5Bn
Total ~ £35Bn
QEC doesn't even make fourth on the list. QEC + F35 is about 16% of the combined total. Typhoon on its own is 26%.
A very simplistic analysis admittedly and doesn't include the monster that is Successor among other things. Spreading that spend out over time would also be very instructive.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
More on the comms connectivity issue - and work on a solution....
U.S. Air Force Sticks With Northrop Airborne Comms Node
"........The success of BACN has not been lost on the U.S.’s coalition partners, who themselves have difficulty passing data between dissimilar equipment within their air, land and naval forces. Northrop is marketing a family of airborne gateways to include Smart Node Pod, which can be carried on smaller platforms such as the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Reaper. The company is also pushing a BACN-derived processor called Resilient Network Controller, optimized for connecting battle management and surveillance networks.
The international demand is being driven in part by the looming introduction of the Lockheed Martin F-35 among allied and NATO nations. F-35s communicate via the Multifunction Advanced Data Link, which is not compatible with earlier-generation aircraft and must be translated and retransmitted on Link 16 by some other means.
Australia will introduce 72 F-35s over the coming years, with aircraft arriving at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Bases Williamtown and Tindal beginning in 2018. The RAAF is getting ahead of the problem by launching “Plan Jericho,” an initiative to link all airborne, land and maritime forces under one resilient combat network. That includes the Royal Australian Army’s troubled Airbus Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter, which communicates via EuroGrid, a data link format that is not supported by any other asset within the Australian Defense Force. The UK, meanwhile, will procure 138 B-model F-35s, which will have difficulty sharing data with the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Northrop is offering BACN-like airborne gateways to both nations and recently supported a live-fire demonstration in Puckapunyal, Australia, involving most of that country’s combat aircraft, including the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet, E-7A Wedgetail and Tiger. The company provided an airborne gateway carried aboard its Gulfstream II business jet. The exercise in March, named Jericho Dawn 16-3, successfully demonstrated interoperability with the Tiger and other platforms.
“We connected the [Tiger] to the ground forces and to their naval and air forces,” Karkainen says. “They were pleased enough with our ability to do that quickly, since we were put under contract in January and implemented the demonstration in March of this year. They want to have an interim gateway to continue to support their [Plan Jericho] demonstrations. We’re still discussing requirements with them on what their interim gateway would look like and what platform it would be on. We will get the requirements, bid for them and move forward.”
The UK has a similar networking vision called the Future Integrated Battle Force, and Northrop is working with the British Defense Ministry to demonstrate how the Eurofighter and F-35 can be linked using airborne gateway technology. Northrop expects a contract for a flight demonstration soon, with the first tests expected by year-end or next spring..........."
U.S. Air Force Sticks With Northrop Airborne Comms Node
"........The success of BACN has not been lost on the U.S.’s coalition partners, who themselves have difficulty passing data between dissimilar equipment within their air, land and naval forces. Northrop is marketing a family of airborne gateways to include Smart Node Pod, which can be carried on smaller platforms such as the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Reaper. The company is also pushing a BACN-derived processor called Resilient Network Controller, optimized for connecting battle management and surveillance networks.
The international demand is being driven in part by the looming introduction of the Lockheed Martin F-35 among allied and NATO nations. F-35s communicate via the Multifunction Advanced Data Link, which is not compatible with earlier-generation aircraft and must be translated and retransmitted on Link 16 by some other means.
Australia will introduce 72 F-35s over the coming years, with aircraft arriving at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Bases Williamtown and Tindal beginning in 2018. The RAAF is getting ahead of the problem by launching “Plan Jericho,” an initiative to link all airborne, land and maritime forces under one resilient combat network. That includes the Royal Australian Army’s troubled Airbus Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter, which communicates via EuroGrid, a data link format that is not supported by any other asset within the Australian Defense Force. The UK, meanwhile, will procure 138 B-model F-35s, which will have difficulty sharing data with the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Northrop is offering BACN-like airborne gateways to both nations and recently supported a live-fire demonstration in Puckapunyal, Australia, involving most of that country’s combat aircraft, including the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet, E-7A Wedgetail and Tiger. The company provided an airborne gateway carried aboard its Gulfstream II business jet. The exercise in March, named Jericho Dawn 16-3, successfully demonstrated interoperability with the Tiger and other platforms.
“We connected the [Tiger] to the ground forces and to their naval and air forces,” Karkainen says. “They were pleased enough with our ability to do that quickly, since we were put under contract in January and implemented the demonstration in March of this year. They want to have an interim gateway to continue to support their [Plan Jericho] demonstrations. We’re still discussing requirements with them on what their interim gateway would look like and what platform it would be on. We will get the requirements, bid for them and move forward.”
The UK has a similar networking vision called the Future Integrated Battle Force, and Northrop is working with the British Defense Ministry to demonstrate how the Eurofighter and F-35 can be linked using airborne gateway technology. Northrop expects a contract for a flight demonstration soon, with the first tests expected by year-end or next spring..........."
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Indeed the list is small, but for jets you can add the FJ Fury (series)...
The waters get further muddied if one considers (I believe incorrectly) that the F-86 was itself a derivative of the straight wing FJ-1 Fury. So technically, a Naval design (FJ-1 Fury) was derived into an Air Force design (F-86), which was then derived back into a naval design (FJ-2, 3 and 4 Fury). This was the very beginning of the jet age, so there was lots of cross pollination. Navy/Air Force fighter design and features diverged quite a bit after this early period.
Last edited by KenV; 27th Sep 2016 at 19:44.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Engine Upgrades for the F-35 Expected in Mid-2020s | Defense News
WASHINGTON – The F-35 joint program office is eyeing the middle of the next decade for when major upgrades to the engines on the joint strike fighter can proceed.
Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, who heads the JPO head, said at last week’s Air Force Association conference that the “mid-2020s” is when the power plant on the joint strike fighter could be refreshed, whether through improvements to the Pratt & Whitney F135 design currently used or through a new engine design from another competitor. “I would expect ... that somewhere in the mid-2020s much of the work being done in the labs right now with our industry partners will find its way onto the F-35,” Bogdan told an audience Sept. 21. “Whether it finds its way onto the F-35 in the current engine or some modified engine remains to be seen, but we do fully expect in the mid-20s to include some advanced technologies on engines.”
The Air Force is currently funding the early stages of the Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) competition, with both Pratt and General Electric Aviation participating. The goal of AETP is to see if the companies can successfully add a third stream of air inside the engine. The program’s goal is to “demonstrate 25 percent improved fuel efficiency, 10 percent increased thrust, and significantly improved thermal management,” according to an Air Force statement. Both companies received contracts worth $1.01 billion over the summer to fund the research under AETP, with a period of performance ending in September 2021.
While the AETP competition will likely be the source of the F-35 power plant of the future, its official focus is whatever the service decides to do with the so-called “sixth generation” fighter development. Theoretically, engine improvements could also be rolled into the B-21 Raider bomber, which is expected to enter production by the mid-2020s. Pratt & Whitney is the engine supplier on the program; and although neither they nor Northrop Grumman, the prime on the B-21, have said what engine is being used, speculation is that some form of the F135 engine will power the bomber.
Bogdan made it clear it is too early to make any decisions about how engine improvements could be rolled into the F-35 program. “We have to take a look and see if they are 1) applicable and can be integrated into the F-35, and 2) the right time and place to do that,” Bogdan said. “A lot of that comes from the warfighter telling us what he or she needs and wants on the airplane, but relative to engine technology, just like sensor technology, just like materials technology, engine technology is moving along also. And there is a lot of work being done in the labs right now to improve the range [and] capability of our engines, the thrust capability on the size and weight of our engines.”
WASHINGTON – The F-35 joint program office is eyeing the middle of the next decade for when major upgrades to the engines on the joint strike fighter can proceed.
Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, who heads the JPO head, said at last week’s Air Force Association conference that the “mid-2020s” is when the power plant on the joint strike fighter could be refreshed, whether through improvements to the Pratt & Whitney F135 design currently used or through a new engine design from another competitor. “I would expect ... that somewhere in the mid-2020s much of the work being done in the labs right now with our industry partners will find its way onto the F-35,” Bogdan told an audience Sept. 21. “Whether it finds its way onto the F-35 in the current engine or some modified engine remains to be seen, but we do fully expect in the mid-20s to include some advanced technologies on engines.”
The Air Force is currently funding the early stages of the Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) competition, with both Pratt and General Electric Aviation participating. The goal of AETP is to see if the companies can successfully add a third stream of air inside the engine. The program’s goal is to “demonstrate 25 percent improved fuel efficiency, 10 percent increased thrust, and significantly improved thermal management,” according to an Air Force statement. Both companies received contracts worth $1.01 billion over the summer to fund the research under AETP, with a period of performance ending in September 2021.
While the AETP competition will likely be the source of the F-35 power plant of the future, its official focus is whatever the service decides to do with the so-called “sixth generation” fighter development. Theoretically, engine improvements could also be rolled into the B-21 Raider bomber, which is expected to enter production by the mid-2020s. Pratt & Whitney is the engine supplier on the program; and although neither they nor Northrop Grumman, the prime on the B-21, have said what engine is being used, speculation is that some form of the F135 engine will power the bomber.
Bogdan made it clear it is too early to make any decisions about how engine improvements could be rolled into the F-35 program. “We have to take a look and see if they are 1) applicable and can be integrated into the F-35, and 2) the right time and place to do that,” Bogdan said. “A lot of that comes from the warfighter telling us what he or she needs and wants on the airplane, but relative to engine technology, just like sensor technology, just like materials technology, engine technology is moving along also. And there is a lot of work being done in the labs right now to improve the range [and] capability of our engines, the thrust capability on the size and weight of our engines.”
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"The French pulled out of the EFA consortium, which became the EF2000 consortium, because they insisted upon a carrier capable design"
It would be more accurate to say the French have pulled out of almost every multi-national arms deal where they haven't been allocated design leadership....................
It would be more accurate to say the French have pulled out of almost every multi-national arms deal where they haven't been allocated design leadership....................
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Not a boffin,
Re your comment on "Massive Costs" a wee peek outside the military sphere shows that upgrading the A9 (Perth to Inverness) from single to dual carriageway will cost an estimated £3bn. Nothing that involves engineering of any sort comes without a hefty price tag these days!
Re your comment on "Massive Costs" a wee peek outside the military sphere shows that upgrading the A9 (Perth to Inverness) from single to dual carriageway will cost an estimated £3bn. Nothing that involves engineering of any sort comes without a hefty price tag these days!
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LM F-35 GM Weekly Update Jeff Babione 29 Sep 2016
https://a855196877272cb14560-2a4fa81...te_9_29_16.pdf (150Kb)
Appear to be two LHA decks of 600 feet marked out with the ski jump further down the graphic then a VL pad on the right at mid field NAS Patuxent River image dated 20 Oct 2013.
“F-35B DT-III FCLPs
Switching over to flight test news, the team at Pax River accomplished more than 50 vertical landings last week to complete field carrier landing practice (FCLP) flights, before embarking on [USS America] F-35B DT-III next month. The at-sea period is the final shipboard testing for the F-35B as part of the system development and demonstration (SDD) testing. The FCLPs are conducted at Pax with the ship’s crew using AM2 matting to simulate the deck of an LHD carrier. This gives the deck crew some valuable experience with the F-35B before working with the jet at sea. This is just the beginning of what promises to be another outstanding success from the test team for this final round of testing.”
Switching over to flight test news, the team at Pax River accomplished more than 50 vertical landings last week to complete field carrier landing practice (FCLP) flights, before embarking on [USS America] F-35B DT-III next month. The at-sea period is the final shipboard testing for the F-35B as part of the system development and demonstration (SDD) testing. The FCLPs are conducted at Pax with the ship’s crew using AM2 matting to simulate the deck of an LHD carrier. This gives the deck crew some valuable experience with the F-35B before working with the jet at sea. This is just the beginning of what promises to be another outstanding success from the test team for this final round of testing.”
Appear to be two LHA decks of 600 feet marked out with the ski jump further down the graphic then a VL pad on the right at mid field NAS Patuxent River image dated 20 Oct 2013.
Last edited by SpazSinbad; 2nd Oct 2016 at 04:32. Reason: add grfx + USS 'Merica
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F-35 NEWS Sep 2016 Combat Aircraft Magazine
Combat Aircraft Magazine September 2016 Volume 17 Number 9
"...Testing continues to evaluate the F-35B’s ability to carry asymmetric external loads in flight. The tests are designed to ensure that the fighter can operate safely while carrying a 1,000lb (454kg) store under one wing but not the other. Testing has already been conducted in non-crosswind conditions and is now being carried out in stronger crosswinds that might be experienced at sea. The latest round of land-based weapons testing is the final hurdle that the Lightning II must clear before it embarks aboard the USS America (LHA 6) for at-sea developmental testing phase 3 (DT-3) in October 2016. DT-3 is the last of three at-sea testing periods that will ultimately allow the US Marine Corps’ F-35Bs to deploy aboard US Navy amphibious assault ships. The F-35B is currently limited to crosswinds of 15kt during vertical landings. DT-3 will evaluate the aircraft’s ability to operate safely in conditions up to sea state 6, which translates as equivalent to wave heights of 13-20ft (4-6m). The DT-3 tests will involve the use of two instrumented F-35Bs...."
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ORAC-
The benefits from the variable cycle turbine engine technologies being developed would be well worth the cost to retrofit on the F-35 models. From what I understand, this development work is making very good progress.
The benefits from the variable cycle turbine engine technologies being developed would be well worth the cost to retrofit on the F-35 models. From what I understand, this development work is making very good progress.
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'FODPlod' said on previous page:
Captains of flat deck ships often have other things to deal with as well as the landing aircraft. Within aircraft landing limits these Captains may make the WOD [Wind Over the Deck] such that it is within the aircraft limits for landing. Operational necessity - crowded seaway - other ships on collision courses or whatever can be imagined, may produce not ideal wind conditions for landing aircraft. It is even more difficult on angle deck carriers for various reasons. Here we have axial flat decks.
"I suppose a ship could always consider doing something silly like turning into wind. Ashore, a pilot might even consider turning into wind himself before landing vertically."
Last edited by SpazSinbad; 2nd Oct 2016 at 11:21. Reason: add quote
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A 15kt demonstrated crosswind component is a fairly typical limitation for fixed wing aircraft. It doesn't mean that the aircraft cannot land in crosswind conditions exceeding that number, but a Harrier or two have been damaged when attempting to land in challenging crosswinds, reference Bagram in the early days following 9/11.
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A 15kt demonstrated crosswind component is a fairly typical limitation for fixed wing aircraft. It doesn't mean that the aircraft cannot land in crosswind conditions exceeding that number, but a Harrier or two have been damaged when attempting to land in challenging crosswinds, reference Bagram in the early days following 9/11.
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CrossWind INFO mostly about the Bee on Ships...
http://www.defense-aerospace.com/dae...on_on_F-35.pdf
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Navy Sees Few Anomalies in F-35B Ship Trials [DT-I] Oct 31, 2011 Amy Butler | Onboard the USS Wasp
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/gener...ne=Navy&next=0
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Jumping Jack Flash July 2014 AIR International F-35 Special Ed.
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F-35B Successfully Completes Wet Runway And Crosswind Testing 31 Jul 2014 noodls
Public · Technologies
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VX-23 2015 STRIKE TEST NEWS Maj M. Andrew “Tac” Tacquard
F-35(B) Short Takeoff & Vertical Landing (STOVL) Mode
http://issuu.com/nawcad_pao/docs/striketest2015_single
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VX-23 Strike Test News 02 Sep 2014
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F-35 Lightning II Flight Test Update 14 Eric Hehs 20 January 2015
F-35 Lightning II Flight Test Update 14 | Code One Magazine
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F-35(B) Asymmetric Tests Pave Way for DT-3 Sea Trial 13 Jul 2016 Lara Seligman, Tony Osborne & Angus Batey
F-35 Asymmetric Tests Pave Way for DT-3 Sea-Trials | ShowNews content from Aviation Week
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ALL AT SEA F-35B/F-35C test update SHOWCASE 2016 SYLVIA PIERSON
SHOWCASE 2016 AEROSPACE TESTING INTERNATIONAL
... • [F-35B] Crosswind landing testing in the conventional landing mode (not vertical landing) was not completed; but sufficient testing was accomplished to clear landings up to 20 knots of crosswind, short of the ORD requirement of 25 knots of crosswind....”
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Navy Sees Few Anomalies in F-35B Ship Trials [DT-I] Oct 31, 2011 Amy Butler | Onboard the USS Wasp
"...Pilots were qualified using the heart of the Harrier wind envelope. During testing they have expanded that up to a 30-kt. headwind, 10-kt. crosswind and 5-kt. tailwind. Pilots report good handling qualities, Cordell says...."
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Jumping Jack Flash July 2014 AIR International F-35 Special Ed.
“...Over the course of the 19-day DT-I test period the two [F-35B] jets logged 28 hours flight time & completed 72 short take-offs & 72 vertical landings in conditions of up to 33 knots of wind-over-deck & 10 knots of starboard crosswind.... ...We opened out to 10 knots of crosswind from the right and 15 knots from the left, which is a super envelope.... ...DT II was about crosswind envelope expansion; getting out to 40 knots of headwind; tailwind envelope expansion...
“...As part of the test programme, VX-23 undertook crosswind and tailwind envelope expansion. This included what Peter Wilson described as “some very interesting test points” with the aircraft positioned with a tailwind – which involved tracking the centreline with various bank angles moving backwards at 25 knots or so, “really testing close to the limits of the propulsion system’s capability. So we’ve hit the corners of the envelope going backwards and sideways”. VX-23 also conducted vertical landings with a 15-knot crosswind and with expected hot gas ingestion from the ship’s funnels. “We’ve completed extreme descent rates touching down at 12ft/sec and not exceeded the load limits of the landing gear,” said Wilson. Crosswind testing is an interesting scenario.
There are two ways to achieve the required objective. The pilot can generate crosswind in the hover by turning 90-degrees away from a headwind to generate crosswind from the natural wind and then move sideways over the ground to achieve the required test condition. The wind can be forced to come at any angle to the aircraft. The alternate way is to test when the desired wind speed is available naturally, pedal turning the aircraft until the direction required by the test point is achieved. “DT II was about crosswind envelope expansion; getting out to 40 knots of headwind; tailwind envelope expansion; and the internal carriage of inert weapons during take-offs and landings for the first time,” said Wilson....
...Another aspect of STOVL ops tested during DT II determined the effect of wind coming around the ship’s island. When an aircraft is in the hover, the island is on the right. If the wind comes from the right it makes its way around the island and catches the aircraft from various angles. “That makes the hot gas coming out of the ship’s stack come at you, which is bad news. Aeroplanes don’t like ingesting hot gas: it reduces performance,” said Wilson. “We had mixed results, some good, some bad. With the wind coming from ‘round the back of the island, the aeroplane starts to feel like it’s jostling around. And the effects of the hot gas coming from around the front eroded our performance margin, but not to a point we were concerned because the aircraft has the capability to withstand the effects. We opened out to 10 kts of crosswind from the right & 15 kts from the left, which is a super envelope. It was a great success.”...”
“...As part of the test programme, VX-23 undertook crosswind and tailwind envelope expansion. This included what Peter Wilson described as “some very interesting test points” with the aircraft positioned with a tailwind – which involved tracking the centreline with various bank angles moving backwards at 25 knots or so, “really testing close to the limits of the propulsion system’s capability. So we’ve hit the corners of the envelope going backwards and sideways”. VX-23 also conducted vertical landings with a 15-knot crosswind and with expected hot gas ingestion from the ship’s funnels. “We’ve completed extreme descent rates touching down at 12ft/sec and not exceeded the load limits of the landing gear,” said Wilson. Crosswind testing is an interesting scenario.
There are two ways to achieve the required objective. The pilot can generate crosswind in the hover by turning 90-degrees away from a headwind to generate crosswind from the natural wind and then move sideways over the ground to achieve the required test condition. The wind can be forced to come at any angle to the aircraft. The alternate way is to test when the desired wind speed is available naturally, pedal turning the aircraft until the direction required by the test point is achieved. “DT II was about crosswind envelope expansion; getting out to 40 knots of headwind; tailwind envelope expansion; and the internal carriage of inert weapons during take-offs and landings for the first time,” said Wilson....
...Another aspect of STOVL ops tested during DT II determined the effect of wind coming around the ship’s island. When an aircraft is in the hover, the island is on the right. If the wind comes from the right it makes its way around the island and catches the aircraft from various angles. “That makes the hot gas coming out of the ship’s stack come at you, which is bad news. Aeroplanes don’t like ingesting hot gas: it reduces performance,” said Wilson. “We had mixed results, some good, some bad. With the wind coming from ‘round the back of the island, the aeroplane starts to feel like it’s jostling around. And the effects of the hot gas coming from around the front eroded our performance margin, but not to a point we were concerned because the aircraft has the capability to withstand the effects. We opened out to 10 kts of crosswind from the right & 15 kts from the left, which is a super envelope. It was a great success.”...”
F-35B Successfully Completes Wet Runway And Crosswind Testing 31 Jul 2014 noodls
"Collectively, the results support clearing the 20 knot cross-wind envelope for Conventional Take Off & Landings (CTOL), Short Take Offs (STO) & Short Landings (SL), with ideal handling quality ratings and meaningful improvement over legacy 4th generational fighter aircraft."
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VX-23 2015 STRIKE TEST NEWS Maj M. Andrew “Tac” Tacquard
F-35(B) Short Takeoff & Vertical Landing (STOVL) Mode
“The F-35B team continued to expand the STOVL envelope last year in the clean wing configuration and with symmetric and asymmetric external stores. The process began with flying qualities testing in semi-jet, short takeoff, and jet borne modes to clear the aircraft for takeoff and landings. The team completed testing at airspeeds as low as 70 knots with 24,000 lb of asymmetry and jet borne with 10,000 lb of asymmetry. Next year, the team will feature jet borne testing to 19,000 lb of asymmetry.
Flying qualities during asymmetric testing were nearly identical to symmetric testing from the pilot’s perspective. The team performed Rolling Vertical Landings (RVL), Creeping Vertical Landings (CVL), Vert-ical Landings (VL), Slow Landings (SL), and Short Take Offs (STO) tests with nominal winds at Patuxent River. They continued landing and takeoff testing during a detachment to Edwards AFB, Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, and at NAWS China Lake. Testers focused on expanding the crosswind envelope with crosswinds of up to 25 knots. We also performed the 1st high altitude CVL & VL during the detachment...."
Flying qualities during asymmetric testing were nearly identical to symmetric testing from the pilot’s perspective. The team performed Rolling Vertical Landings (RVL), Creeping Vertical Landings (CVL), Vert-ical Landings (VL), Slow Landings (SL), and Short Take Offs (STO) tests with nominal winds at Patuxent River. They continued landing and takeoff testing during a detachment to Edwards AFB, Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, and at NAWS China Lake. Testers focused on expanding the crosswind envelope with crosswinds of up to 25 knots. We also performed the 1st high altitude CVL & VL during the detachment...."
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VX-23 Strike Test News 02 Sep 2014
"The F-35B STOVL envelope expansion continued last year. The Rolling Vertical Landing (RVL), Creeping Vertical Landing (CVL), Vertical Landing (VL), Slow Landing (SL), Short Take Off (STO) and Vertical Takeoff (VTO) envelopes were all expanded. RVL testing included main runway testing with some crosswind testing. CVL testing began and was completed on both the main runway and the Expeditionary Airfield (EAF). The VL wind envelope was further expanded, with up to 10 knots of tail wind and 15 knots of crosswind. SL and STO testing included crosswind expansion out to 20 knots, completed primarily at Edwards Air Force Base and NAWS China Lake during a wet runway and crosswind detachment. STOVL formation testing began this year, which included formation STOs and SLs. VTO expansion occurred concurrently with AM2 soft soil pad certification...."
F-35 Lightning II Flight Test Update 14 Eric Hehs 20 January 2015
22 April 2014: Multiple Crosswind Tests
Lockheed Martin test pilot Dan Levin was at the controls of [F-35B] BF-4 Flight 225 for a day of extensive crosswind testing at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, that included three short takeoffs, two slow landings, and two conventional landings. Crosswinds for these tests ranged from nineteen to twenty-five knots."
Lockheed Martin test pilot Dan Levin was at the controls of [F-35B] BF-4 Flight 225 for a day of extensive crosswind testing at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, that included three short takeoffs, two slow landings, and two conventional landings. Crosswinds for these tests ranged from nineteen to twenty-five knots."
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F-35(B) Asymmetric Tests Pave Way for DT-3 Sea Trial 13 Jul 2016 Lara Seligman, Tony Osborne & Angus Batey
"...F-35 test pilots have begun testing the aircraft’s ability to carry asymmetric external loads in powered-lift flight. The trials are one of the final hurdles before the aircraft embark on the USS America at the end of October for at-sea developmental testing phase 3 (DT3) – the last of three maritime trials that will give the green light for the Marine Corps F-35Bs to deploy onto amphibious assault ships. The trials will explore the aircraft’s ability to operate safely onto decks with a 1,000-lb. asymmetric load as an external store under one of the wings, but not the other.
“In normal high-speed flight we deal with asymmetric loads by adjusting the flight controls,” says BAE Systems test pilot Pete Wilson, but this is not as straightforward when the aircraft enters the powered lift stage of flight just before recovering onto the deck. Tests have already begun in no-crosswind conditions, and the team are now beginning to test what may occur when stronger crosswinds are introduced. During most carrier landings, ships will point into the wind and the aircraft will be able to recover safely, but at times the ship may be constrained by geography, forcing aircraft to recover with a crosswind component.
The F-35B’s vertical landing crosswind limits is currently 15 kt., although the aircraft can translate at speeds of 20-25 kt. The team want to confirm computer models and prove how the aircraft will operate in such conditions. The issue was rarely a concern for older generations of STOVL, as they did not often bring back such high-tech munitions...."
“In normal high-speed flight we deal with asymmetric loads by adjusting the flight controls,” says BAE Systems test pilot Pete Wilson, but this is not as straightforward when the aircraft enters the powered lift stage of flight just before recovering onto the deck. Tests have already begun in no-crosswind conditions, and the team are now beginning to test what may occur when stronger crosswinds are introduced. During most carrier landings, ships will point into the wind and the aircraft will be able to recover safely, but at times the ship may be constrained by geography, forcing aircraft to recover with a crosswind component.
The F-35B’s vertical landing crosswind limits is currently 15 kt., although the aircraft can translate at speeds of 20-25 kt. The team want to confirm computer models and prove how the aircraft will operate in such conditions. The issue was rarely a concern for older generations of STOVL, as they did not often bring back such high-tech munitions...."
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INTEGRATED TEST at PAX James Deboer US NAVY & MARINE CORPS AIR POWER YEARBOOK 2016 Magazine "...We can launch [catapult F-35C] with up to a 15kt crosswind and we can recover with up to a 10kt crosswind’...."
ALL AT SEA F-35B/F-35C test update SHOWCASE 2016 SYLVIA PIERSON
"...WET RUNWAY, BRAKING VALIDATION AND HIGH CROSSWIND TESTING
ITF testers proved the aircraft can stop safely in extreme weather conditions and validated the aircraft envelope out to a 25-knot crosswind with high asymmetric air-to-ground loadings. Even in a maximum asymmetry configuration (up to 26,000 lb·ft) with weapons stores on one wing, the aircraft performed well – in fact, the high asymmetry and crosswind required little additional attention from the pilot...."
ITF testers proved the aircraft can stop safely in extreme weather conditions and validated the aircraft envelope out to a 25-knot crosswind with high asymmetric air-to-ground loadings. Even in a maximum asymmetry configuration (up to 26,000 lb·ft) with weapons stores on one wing, the aircraft performed well – in fact, the high asymmetry and crosswind required little additional attention from the pilot...."
Last edited by SpazSinbad; 3rd Oct 2016 at 05:56. Reason: format + add last quote
Nov Pilot mag has a letter from an ex naval officer who has very little regard for F35. He states it has little range, cannot launch with full weapons load, has very limited carrier landing capability due to carrier pitch & roll limits, no in-flight-refuelling capability, far too sophisticated, far too expensive (6 F35s = 2 whole Squadrons of uprated F18 Super Hornets). If all true, this lemon is a lemon.