|
|
|
|
|||
By Daniel Baxter |
||||
March 21, 2010 --
A supersonic Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter rode
more than 41,000 pounds of thrust to a vertical landing on Thursday for
the first time, confirming its required ability to land in confined
areas both ashore and afloat.
“Today’s vertical
landing onto a 95-foot square pad showed that we have the thrust and the
control to maneuver accurately both in free air and in the descent
through ground effect,” said F-35 Lead STOVL Pilot Graham Tomlinson.
Tomlinson
performed an 80-knot (93 miles per hour) short takeoff from
“The low workload
in the cockpit contrasted sharply with legacy short takeoff/vertical
landing (STOVL) platforms,” said Tomlinson, a retired Royal Air Force
fighter pilot and a BAE Systems employee since 1986. “Together with the
work already completed for slow-speed handling and landings, this
provides a robust platform to expand the fleet’s STOVL capabilities.” |
||||
Robert J. Stevens, Lockheed Martin chairman and chief executive officer,
said, “Today’s vertical landing of the F-35 BF-1 aircraft was a vivid
demonstration of innovative technology that will serve the global
security needs of the U.S. and its allies for decades to come. I am
extremely proud of the F-35 team for their dedication, service and
performance in achieving this major milestone for the program.”
Doug Pearson, Lockheed Martin vice president of F-35 Test and
Verification, said, “The successful first vertical landing today met our
test objectives and demonstrates the F-35B’s capacity to operate from a
very small area at sea or on shore – a unique capability for a
supersonic, stealth fighter. This is the first of many such tests to
fully define the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL)
characteristics of the world’s most capable 5th generation fighter. We
will routinely conduct vertical landings and short takeoffs to further
expand the operational flight envelope for the F-35B.” |
The aircraft in
today’s test, known as BF-1, is one of three F-35B STOVL jets currently
undergoing flight trials at the
The F-35B will
replace U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B STOVL fighters and F/A-18 strike
fighters. The
The F-35 program
is using the Lockheed Martin-developed Autonomic Logistics Information
System (ALIS) for maintenance actions, spares tracking and technical
data support.ALIS is part of the F-35’s innovative sustainment
architecture monitored by the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Global
Sustainment (ALGS)
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.
Headquartered in |
©AvStop Online Magazine Contact Us Return To News |
|