Posted on 01/09/2007 5:15:42 AM PST by MARKUSPRIME
FORT WORTH, Texas: The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II achieved another successful test flight today from the company's Fort Worth, Texas, facility.
"The maturity of this highly integrated aircraft for its second flight is dazzling -- when it's time to fly it is always ready and takes minimal time to get out of the chocks," said Jon Beesley, F-35 Chief Test Pilot. "The flight underscores that the Lightning II flies just as our engineers predicted. This was the first time that we have retracted the landing gear and the aircraft handling qualities were outstanding. I continue to be impressed by this marvelous airplane's performance and handling characteristics."
Approximately 10 minutes into the flight, Beesley retracted the landing gear and climbed from 15,000 to 20,000 feet to evaluate handling qualities and engine operation in the cruise mode at Mach 0.6 (~ 450 m.p.h.) and Mach 0.7 (~ 530 m.p.h.). The handling tests included rolls, turns, angle-of-attack changes and engine throttle changes. The flight lasted 62 minutes and was executed exactly as planned. It followed the aircraft's successful first flight on Dec. 15, when the F-35 demonstrated unprecedented engine performance and handling qualities.With this successful flight and its broad array of test points, F-35 flight test has really begun," said Dan Crowley, Lockheed Martin executive vice president and F-35 program general manager. "The ease of starting and flying this aircraft is a reflection of the quality of the team who designed and built it."
The F-35 is a supersonic, multi-role, 5TH Generation stealth fighter designed to replace a wide range of existing aircraft, including AV-8B Harriers, A-10s, F-16s, F/A-18 Hornets and United Kingdom Harrier GR.7s and Sea Harriers.
Lockheed Martin is developing the Lightning II 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 Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2005 sales of $37.2 billion.
I want one.
See the differance in the engines on the X-35 pic you posted vs the F-35? The F-35 has jagged edges for lower RCS.
I disagree.
Is this a VTOL craft?
"I want one."
How fantastic a toy would that be?
Yikes!
The F-35 b variant is. They are 3 variants.
Strongly.
Outside of "Surrender, Dorothy!", what's your point?
Very nice! Thanks.
Ground based "simultaneous track and shoot" high energy lasers require nothing more than electricity. The newest commercially available ones have enough power in a small package to poke 500 1/2 inch holes per second in an A/C at slant ranges of 5 to 8 miles.
The no-lead (sighting/firing at the speed of light) tracking systems and deliverable energy have been there for years. Collimation and atmospheric/wavefrom distortion were problems but they have been solved.
StrAir and TacAir were great while they lasted. They allowed us to project our stateside industrial strength forward as weapons systems, but for every weapon system, there is a counter.
Hey!??
No GUN??
I didn't see any gun.
I thought we learned THAT lesson over 'Nam in '68!!
Ya gotta have a gun!
If our enemies had such things now, they'd be shooting down commercial planes.
We need planes like this to track and destroy weapons like the one you speak of, so they are not used to cripple our commercial airline industry.
I guess it's too bad nobody thought about how someone could just shoot a laser at our airplanes and blow them up. Oh well. /sarc
They have a gun so does the F-22
"What would the islamofacists think if every American family had one?"
Even better, what would they think if the U S actually brought all of its technology to bare on their sorry butts?
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