F-35C

F-35C First Carrier Test

Maverick — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:48:09 +0000

The first simulated carrier landing was conducted during the competition with Boeing while still designated X-35. The test landing was done on a long runway on land for safety but the signal lights and other features of an aircraft carrier where layed out like a real landing. You will see that the plane comes in at a steep angle to simulate grabbing the arresting cable with the tail hook. The pilot will put down the forward landing gear much quicker than a usual on-land touchdown, which is standard on the extremely short landing deck of a carrier. Instead of slowing to a stop, the pilot pushes the throttle all the way up and takes right back off again. This is also a simulation of an arrested landing where the pilot needs enough thrust to take back off again in case he misses the cable. The cable is strong enough that if the plane catches it, it will hold even at full throttle.

F-35B Short Take Off and Hover

Maverick — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:24:36 +0000

For the first time on March 17, 2010 the F-35B Short Take Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant completed a full mid-air hover following a take off of less than 500 ft. The test came at the Naval Air Station in Patuxent River. This is a major step for the Marines on the path toward replacing their aging Harrier fleet. The Harrier is a true “jump jet.” The Harrier’s ability to take off and land vertically means that it can be stationed where there is no conventional airstrip that other fighters require. This way, it can be deployed anywhere and is designed to take on multiple types of mission objectives, much the same as the marines it services. However, the current crop of Harriers have been in service for forty years and are notoriously hard to fly with great coordination required to operate the vertical flight systems. The British and Americans hope the F-35B will offer all the versatility while being simpler to operate and maintain. The JSF will for the first time bring a stealth strike capability anywhere ground forces may need it. Like the Harrier, the JSF will be able to fly out of makeshift runways under 500 feet as well as take off from the limited space of British Invincible class carriers and French Mistral class carriers that currently operate Harriers. The United States does not operate light aircraft carriers like many European Navies, but the takeoff/landing capabilities of the Marine’s JSF will reduce traffic on the super carriers allowing for more takeoffs and landings at a time. The successful completion of the March 17 test gives hope to all the nations invested in the JSF program that a revolution in the worlds air power will come with the advent of a stealth fighter that can take off in a limited area, fly supersonic, and land vertically.

Short Takeoff…

Vertical Hover…

STOVL Hover Pit Testing

Maverick — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 16:58:26 +0000

The first testing of the F-35B STOVL variant’s vertical lifting system was stationary engagement with the landing gear affixed to a special harness. The “Hover Pit” tests involved going through the entire process of an actual vertical landing but while still on the ground in case of a malfunction. The first hover pit testing of the Lockheed Martin model JSF came in March of 2001, while still in competition with Boeing’s X-32. The test was a success, defeating critics who questioned the strength of the lift fan. Lockheed in partnership with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems would make over 100 more Hover Pit tests before the first flight of short take off (<500 ft.), supersonic flight, and completely vertical landing late that summer. This overwhelmingly great performance at that point in the testing phase along with the success of the other Lockheed variants would go on to win the JSF competition, announced on October 26, 2001. Since then, the production model has had to repeat the testing and has produced more than enough thrust to complete a safe vertical landing in tests at Lockheed’s Ft. Worth facility. Hover Pit testing was heaviest in 2009 leading to the first in-flight engagement of the vertical landing systems in the first week of 2010 with the first vertical landing on March 18.

Le F35
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F-35 Laser Weapon

Maverick — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:57:36 +0000

High-powered, vehicle portable laser weapons have been perused by the military for many years. Only recently with the development of the YAL-1A Airborne Laser has an aircraft mounted laser weapon been produced. However, the YAL-1A laser is mounted on a 747 jumbo jet, much too large for practicality on a fighter aircraft like the F-35. The YAL is a chemical laser designed to shoot down ballistic missiles. The ultimate goal is to develop an electric fired laser that would be small enough to mount on a small aircraft or ground vehicle. But, once the issue of size is figured out, a laser weapon on the JSF would be a dominant force. Because the weapon would fire at the speed of light, once the target is locked on it cannot take evasive action. Depending on the power source used, the laser cannon could have virtually limitless ammunition and if nothing else, a more powerful and longer-lasting alternative to the gun. Based on the current development, the laser would probably not be the only armament used. It would complement the missile stock that can be used over far greater ranges. The process of firing such a weapon would involve locking on to the target much like with missiles and then holding the laser on the target for a couple seconds while the energy super heats the airframe or ground vehicle.

YAL-1A is the first airborne laser that could evolve into the technology needed to make lasers small enough to mount on fighter aircraft like the F-35…

Raytheon has already developed a ship-mounted laser weapon that in this video shoots down an unmanned aircraft in a test. The company hopes to add this weapon to its Phalanx Gatling gun already in service.

You will see a dark figure that is the aircraft at 0:03 begin to be illuminated by the laser. At 0:11 it catches flame until at 0:19 it explodes and rapidly descends before at 0:32 it hits the water…

AIM-120 AMRAAM

Maverick — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:30:50 +0000

All variants of the Joint Strike Fighter program will accept the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile. AMRAAM stands for “Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile.” The missile, developed in the early 90’s, is radar guided which means that the enemy does not have to be within visual range for the missile to track. The AMRAAM has a range of about 30 miles and closes at speeds approaching mach 5. Radar guidance also means that the AMRAA can be used in all weather and light conditions. The AIM-120 comes from the AIM-54 Phoenix lineage from Raytheon/Hughes. The missile has been in service all the way back to third generation fighters like the F-4 and F-5 but became the mainstay medium range American missile on all fourth generation fighters. With modifications, the AIM-120 is projected to stay in service long into the future as the main air-to-air weapon on future aircraft like the F-35, F-22, and reportedly the Indian HAL Tejas. The F-35 can currently hold 4 AMRAAMs in its internal weapons bay with plans to increase it to 6 in the near future. The amount of AIM-120s will depend on the mission with perhaps only 2 for defense on a strike mission or up to 10 total between the internal bay and four external mounts if stealth is not a necessity.

F-35 Cannon

Maverick — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:07:56 +0000

The only gun on baord the Joint Strike Fighter will be a 4-barreled Gatling cannon. The 25mm GAU-22 will carry about 200 rounds and will fire at a rate of 3300 rounds per minute. This means that although the gun will have extremely rapid and powerful firing capabilities, the entire stock of ammunition will be used up in less than four seconds. This will be less of a problem for the F-35 than it would be for fourth generation aircraft because the F-35 relies on its missiles so heavily for offense and will avoid dogfights as much as possible. The gun would only be used for defense in the projected rare case that a dogfight does occur. When missile technology first came about, experts believed that dogfights would become extinct. The first new planes in the missile era, like the F-4 Phantom, carried no gun and were outmatched when the inevitable close range battle broke out. The aviation community has since learned its lesson as all modern American fighters carry a gun or cannon. The F-35A conventional fighter will carry its gun internally mounted over the pilot’s left shoulder, similar to the mounting on the F-22. The B and C will carry the gun in an attached pod under the aircraft that will allow for slightly more rounds or the option to detach the gun and carry extra fuel, missiles, or whatever the mission calls for. The GAU-22 is designed and manufactured by General Dynamics and is based on the companies successful GAU-12 used on the Harrier. The main difference between the two is that the newer gun has only four barrels to the GAU-12’s five. This will make the gun significantly lighter and more compact. This change will also reportedly make the gun more accurate while maintaining a similar muzzle velocity.

To see a History Channel “Dogfights” episode on the F-4 Phantom and the onset of the missile age, please visit the F-35C Forum.

F-35 Helmet

Maverick — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:56:58 +0000

The future pilots of the F-35 will be the first to use a helmet-mounted display system (HMDS) without the aid of a traditional heads-up display. This means all the information that is usually presented on a HUD screen will now be projected onto the pilots visor. All the data needed will follow as a pilot turns his head, meaning he will never have to loose visual contact with the enemy to look at a display. The new visor in use on the JSF helmet is much larger than on earlier helmets giving the wearer an unprecedented view of the sky. The helmet will provide for night vision and target acquisition. All the pilot has to do is look at his target to lock on it and begin tracking. He will be able to fire on a bogey anywhere around the plane, even directly behind and let the missile do the work of positioning itself. Using the vast array of sensors on the aircraft, a virtual complete picture is given to the operator, making it seem like he is on the outside of the aircraft without any visual obstruction. If the pilot were to look down for example, he would not see the floor of the plane but rather the ground and potential threats below him. This revolutionary awareness of the battle field coupled with a simplified cockpit and revolutionary airframe will make the F-35 a very easy plane to fly giving the pilots of the JSF the ability to focus solely on their target.

To see a simulation of what the pilot will see with the new helmet, see F-35 Distributed Aperture System and skip to minute 3:50 on the video.

F-35 Cockpit

Maverick — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 15:46:42 +0000

All Variants of the F-35 will feature a “glass cockpit.” Such a system has all the data that the pilot needs placed conveniently and streamlined on digital screens. Previous aircraft used mechanical instruments to gauge data like altitude and airspeed and had a dedicated display for presenting the data. The new cockpit will be both simpler and interactive. There will be less distracting clutter allowing the pilot to better focus on the mission. The pilot will even be able to change what information is displayed each panel to fit the mission objective or the pilot’s individual preference. With help from the F-35’s advanced radar and LCD touch display in the F-35 is an even more streamlined derivative of the 4 separate monitors in the F-22 Raptor. The screen will be configurable to be able to drag info from one part of the panel to the other and presents the data in windows much like your home PC that can be opened and closed as the mission requirements evolve. The JSF will also have voice recognition software to give the pilot a hands-free option to controlling the plane’s functions. The most prominent exterior feature of the F-35 cockpit is the forward opening canopy. In the F-35B, the main lift fan that allows vertical landing is located right behind the pilot, where the canopy hinge and hardware are usually located. So, the hinge was moved to the front of the plane and in the Distributed Aperture System, the monitors will provide the pilot a 3d view of his surroundings. The single 20″x8″ interest of commonality the system was used on all models. You will also notice the jagged cut where the cockpit opens. A smooth surface would easily reflect enemy radar so like in the airframe of the F-117, the jagged surface will scatter the signature. In the case of an ejection, the canopy has detonation cord embedded in the safety glass and will shatter rather than having the canopy jettison whole. In earlier planes, the pilot being fired out at high speed ran the risk of a broken neck if his head hit the canopy. The integrated cockpit will feature an advanced Helmet Mounted Display and will not carry the usual Heads Up Display. This means the pilot can look around while maintaining contact with the display information. It also makes target acquisition and firing much more user friendly.

To see more of the F-35 cockpit, see the Future Weapons feature on the F-35.

F-35 on Dogfights

Maverick — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:08:33 +0000

The F-35 Lightning II appeared on the History Channel Special “Dogfights of the Future.” In a hypothetical future combat mission, F-35 Joint Strike Fighters supply a strike role supporting a pair of B-2 Spirits while a formation of F-22s defend against aerial threats.

To see the entire episode, from near future battles between F-22 Raptors and Dassault Rafales to space combat between laser-armed scramjets, please visit the F-35C Forum.

F-35 on Extreme Machines

Maverick — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:53:13 +0000

The X-35B test variant of the JSF program was explored in TLC’s “Extreme Machines” episode titled, “Military Planes.” Footage includes vertical testing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

To see the rest of the episode, including the F-15C Air Superiority Fighter, Eurofighter Typhoon, F-117 stealth strike fighter, and the most advanced aircraft ever built, the F-22, please visit the F-35C Forum