Posted on 02/19/2010 10:23:53 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Piloted by Lockheed Martin F-35 Test Pilot Jeff Knowles, the third F-35B Lightning II short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) stealth fighter landed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., today.
"Today, the third of our five STOVL test jets joined the F-35 fleet at the Test Center as our flight test program initiates the expansion of the F-35's flight-sciences envelope," said Tom Burbage, Lockheed Martin executive vice president and general manager of F-35 Program Integration. "Our focus remains on fielding the F-35's tremendous capabilities to our warfighters, recapitalizing our nation’s aging fighter fleet, and meeting our commitments to the F-35 partner nations."
The jet, known as BF-3, took off near Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth plant at 9:51 a.m. CST and arrived at NAS Patuxent River three hours and 10 minutes later. BF-3 joins two other F-35Bs at the Navy test site, and will be used mainly to evaluate vehicle systems and expand the aircraft’s aerodynamic and structural-loads envelope. The airplane will also focus on weapons testing, and will carry and release most of the weapons the F-35B will use in combat. Two more F-35Bs will join the test operation in the near future. The latter airplanes will be the primary test assets for the F-35’s integrated mission systems.
In addition to flight testing, the F-35 Program is using the Autonomic Logistic 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) Operations Center in Fort Worth. The early deploymentof the F-35 net-enabled logistics system to be used by all nine partner countries helps ensure the F-35's smooth transition to operational status, and is a key enabler for lower life cycle costs.
(Excerpt) Read more at air-attack.com ...
Whats the difference between this and the F22, is it just the VTO capability?
The big thing is ops on aircraft carriers for the Navy variant.
Wow, much smaller and single engine. I can’t believe the NAVY would go with a single engine design.
Major differences all around between Raptor and F-35: I think you’re asking about differences between the “regular” F-35 (conventional takeoff) and the short-takeoff versions?
Both include stealth technology, but Raptor has longer range, more weapons, more loiter time, better radar and sensors, (I think) a little more speed and altitude advantages.
Raptor - more important - has MUCH more weapons control and rumored AWACS-level communications and radars that can let it command and control other aircraft (F-16, F-15, drones, etc) while it protects them from the enemy and is detecting anti-air cannon and missiles: Much better than an airborne &)& flying a long way back from the battle.
That and about $100 million dollars and 1,000 mph.
Keep 'em comin'.
So it is not vertical take off, but short take off and land STOL?
CTOL F-35 is the first version: Conventional takeoff is the most efficient for getting fuel and ammo and plane weight “up”. That's the USAF expected version - because they have the runways already. Think of the advantages between an CTOL F-15 and the CTOL F-16 for the benefits of an CTOL F-22 and CTOL F-35 version. Bigger, better aircraft, much more capable in war but politically(!) more expensive.
STOL version of the F-35 uses ??? (in this version I'm of sure of all of the specific changes to flaps, directed engine thrust, changed wing style and shape, etc) from the CTOL F-35 but much the same body and avionics. Heavier wheel and landing gear also I think. This is the expected Navy version: Not sure if they will still catapult it (probably), landing requires the tailhook that the USAF doesn't want to drag around. Still an STOL carrier stealth aircraft is a big step up from the 1970-era F-14. F-17 is only slightly newer.
The VTOL F-35 takes an internal compartment that's used for fuel and weapons in the other two versions and loads an engine inside to give vertical thrust, adds covers and ducts for the inlet and exhaust for that engine. All the extra weight and controls and hydraulics reduce storage and fuel capacity, reduce range, don't increase forward speed, cause more maintenance and down time, etc, etc, etc.
OK, thanks. I’m still surprised it looks like a single engine bird.
I’ve been there also!!!!
And everything visible sticking out from the fuselage needs a hydraulic motor, limit switches, wires, controllers, power supply, indicator lights, interlocks, ..... And every extra wire requires extra wire wraps and cable hangers and .....
All of that extra adds weight, space, .....
LOL! That is exactly what it looks like. Whats the two smaller doors for?
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