Ninth F-35 joins flight test fleet

Flight Global ^ | 7/8/2010 | Stephen Trimble

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Nine of the original 14 F-35 flight test aircraft have flown after the debut on 6 July of the fourth conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant known as AF-3.

The 42-min sortie began at 18:20, local time, outside Lockheed Martin's final assembly plant in Fort Worth, Texas, with company test pilot Bill Gigliotti at the controls. Area storms stopped the flight short, Lockheed says.

After first flight of the fourth short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant BF-4 in April, AF-3's entry into the flight test programme means two aircraft are now dedicated to mission systems testing.

Mission systems onboard the F-35 include the APG-81 radar, electronic warfare suite, distributed aperture system and electro-optical targeting system.

First flight of AF-3 had been expected several weeks ago. Lockheed attributed at least part of the delay to several components that failed at temperatures below specification.

[Vroomfondel]

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