Video: F-35B Attempts To Burn A Hole In The Earth At Night!
Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 06:41PM
It's old news now but the F-35B (the Marine variant that includes Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing [STOVL] capabilities) made its first nighttime vertical landing back on April 2, 2013. But, like me, you might have missed seeing the video... so here it is for you to enjoy.
Wow that looks hot! And I don't mean 'hot' like trying to burn a hole in the runway (or landing pad), but hot as in awesome! So rock-solid steady and stable. It's just crazy, cool, and amazing. I guess it's pretty obvious, I'm impressed : )
Old-school Harrier vertical landings are amazing as well, but they always had just a hint of this-could-go-bad-at-any-moment in them. The F-35 with so much computer intervention and raw power looks more like CGI animation than real-life. Simply astonishing.
If you'd like to see more of what the short takeoff and vertical landing look like, then check out the daytime video below from just a few weeks earlier on March 21, 2013 when the first 'operational' F-35B made its initial vertical landing. I specifically enjoyed watching that short takeoff where the lift fan is providing lift from right behind the cockpit and the exhaust is turned partially downward as well. The most interesting part to me (since I haven't done any detailed reading on F-35 STOVL operations) is that as the nose rotates you'll notice that significant 'down' elevator is applied. I'm looking forward to understanding more of how all this amazing system works!
Reader Comments (2)
I'm pretty sure you've embedded a wrong video ;)
Or were we supposed to watch a material on Polymetallic Nodules?
Keep watching ! A robotic K-max & the Automated production line shots of the F-35 !
Good stuff,