CoolPix: Getting Hooked On The F-35

(click pic for hi-res)  F-35B 'short takeoff' from aircraft carrier (photo: LockheedMartin)

 The recent trip to the Naval Aviation Museum didn't include any F-35 spotting at nearby Eglin AFB but I do wish it would have. I didn't have the time or energy to figure out if there was a spot you can hang out where one might be visible. I find myself quite drawn to the airplane these days even tho it's still easy to question whether the program is a good idea... but we are stuck with it at this point so let's encourage those working on the program to succeed!

 I do think there are far too many haters out there that would rather stir up a frenzy than acknowledge that this is one amazing aircraft. And, I suspect the haters are 90 to 100% people who don't know how to engineer an extreme carrier-capable aircraft, they are likely just people who (due to the internet) have a voice and they love to hear it make noise.

 While the CoolPix photo above is from last year showing an F-35B STOVL (short takeoff/vertical landing) making a short takeoff from a carrier deck (note the lift fan doors open and the downward rotation of the aft nozzle) there's an article from the U. S. Naval Institute about how the F-35C (the actual carrier variant) has recently completed shore-based testing of the redesigned hook. Problems catching the wire was an issue that many people made a big stink about, but as is the case when something doesn't work as originally envisioned, you make changes to the design. It's called development and every military aircraft goes thru lots of design changes along the way.

 The internet has made it possible for everyday people to have access to far more info than was ever available when aircraft like the F-14 or B-1 were being developed. The flow of info is great for those with an interest in the work of people handling tasks that are both extremely difficult and vitally important, but it also means that a lot of people who would be better off with their hands tied behind their back have access to the info too.

 Anyway, I hope you enjoy the very cool F-35B pic here and hopefully there will be a video available soon showing the F-35C catching the wire in those shore-based tests. 

Video: Watch This Kid Shoot Down An F-35 With His F-18

 I honestly don't know the detailed politics of the F-35 vs F-18 debate, but I'm pretty sure if I did I'd be desperately looking for the government's OFF switch... however, I do know this video is very well done and it really did make me LOL!

 Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts about this issue, but I'm remaining silent. I'm just gonna laugh at the video and then go back to watching the world continue to collapse.  

 And hey, have a great day!

Video screenshot from the stunning F-35 takedown by the simple-n-old F-18

Video: F-35 Goes On The Attack... And Wins!

 Ok, it was only the 'air' that was attacked, but right up to the limit angle of 50 degrees the Lightning II proved to be up to the task. To be able to maintain control at these insane AOA's is quite impressive and would tend to indicate that the F-35 still has the ability to live up to its potential. It also appears that the aircraft was tested into this extreme part of the flight envelope very quickly, a sign that it is well prepared for such an extreme environment.

Here's part of the official Lockheed-Martin press release on the testing: EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., November 19, 2012 – An F-35A Lightning II conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft rapidly expanded its high angle of attack (AOA) test envelope to its 50 degree limit in only four flights during recent flight testing here. F-35A test aircraft are limited to AOAs of 20 degrees until their controllability is proven at a higher AOA limit of 50 degrees.  The ability to rapidly progress to the maximum AOA indicates a sound aerodynamic and flight control system design. High AOA testing will continue on the F-35A for several months testing the capabilities of all design loadings and the flight control system.

 Also, this story from Eglin AFB in Florida, where 33rd Fighter Wing is testing the F-35, shows that they recently trained four pilots in the F-35 from no experience with the aircraft to fully qualified joint strike fighter pilots in less than half of the time allotted. This is another great accomplishment and good sign overall for the F-35 program.

 I'm sure the F-35 will continue to have problems, issues, setbacks and frustrations... but you can't possibly hope to develop the most technologically advanced fighter jet in the world without all of these undesirable elements. I'll add that I believe people who have to use the 'lefty-loosey-righty-tighty' crutch should remain completely silent about the progress of the F-35 program. #journalistsandbloggers

F-35A with its nose to the sky at very high angles of attack in recent testing (photo: LM)

Video screenshot showing the attached spin recovery parachute hardware on this F-35A

Video: Kick The Tires And Light The Fires! F-35C Makes First Night Flight

 The carrier based variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 is the C model... it's got the bigger wing, larger control surfaces, stronger landing gear and a hook, among other differences. One thing in common with the A and B models, which are much farther ahead in the flight test program, is the ability to use the Pratt & Whitney F135 turbofan to turn kerosene into a massive roman candle! Wow that afterburner looks hot!

 This video is a nice compliment to the one I posted the other day of the first F-35A night refueling excercise. The airplane looks very nice in the night sky... and I'm really beginning to love the way it looks in the day sky too! A few more rock music videos like this from Lockheed Martin featuring the F-35 and even the haters are gonna have to let up a little. As for me, I'm liking me some Lightning II : )

 Oh, and yeah I know... the F-35 really only has the one 'fire'.

Screenshot: beautiful afterburner fire on the first night flight for the F-35C - 6.13.12

Video: Out Late In Your F-35 And You Need Petrol - Watcha Gonna Do?

 Aerial refueling is one of those intense skills kinda like carrier landings, it's just not an easy thing to do. But just like carrier landings, can you even imagine doing it at night in the dark? Wow that sounds like too much work to me! Definitely separates the men from the boys.

 This video shows the F-35 doing some night refueling testing over Edwards Air Force Base back in March 2012. I've noticed before that the F-35 seems remarkably rock-solid stable in the air, maybe more than other aircraft. I might just be imagining that, but if it's true, aerial refueling is a nice place to have an extra-solid flying platform. And it's good to know if you get caught out late in your F-35 and need some petrol, there's an app for that : )

Video screenshot - KC-135 refueling an F-35 over Edwards AFB in night tests

Screenshot: night F-35 refueling tests conducted in March 2012 - looks like a challenge!

Navy F-35C Formation Flight CoolPix Triple Play (Plus Video)

(click pic for hi-res)  Navy F-35C aircraft #'s CF-1 and CF-2 in formation flight

 The first formation flying done by two of the Navy versions of the the Lightning II (F-35C) was completed recently as these sweet hi-res pix show. Plus, don't miss the video at the bottom of the post for the official Lockheed Martin footage of the event. I don't know about you, but I think those lightning bolts on the fins is one of the coolest graphic treatments on a fighter in a long time... it just looks hot!

 And while there are loads of people out there beatin' up on the F-35, I'm still thinking it's all gonna work out fine. The world is very different than when an aircraft like the F-14 was developed. Everybody is an expert these days with an opinion that they think is worth listening to, and an internet connection to allow them to spout off. Did you know that the massively successful F-14 program actually lost the prototype aircraft on the second flight? Now there's a setback to come back from... and that's exactly what the people at Grumman did. 

 Today we know about program details than we honestly have no right to know about, and often we know them immediately, or nearly so. The truth is if you want a jet fighter that can fill three very different roles with one basic airframe platform, and you want it to have a stealth design, AND you want one of them to have VTOL capability... there's really only two words that can describe this: expensive and difficult. In my little tiny opinion, the F-35 program is doing just fine.

(click pic for hi-res)  Navy F-35C variants in formation flight with the gear down

Click to read more ...

Cruise Is In For Top Gun 2 - But F-35 Is The Scientology Star! (CoolPix + Video)

(click pic for hi-res)   VTOL F-35B during carrier suitability testing in October 2011

 The confirming news is now a little over a week old about the reality of a Top Gun 2 movie project with Tom Cruise coming back as Maverick. And with the 'anytime baby' F-14 Tomcat smoking cigars in an easy chair these days, the F-35 Lightning II gets a chance to show off its ability to turn cash into an incredibly slow fighter jet. Of course I'm speaking of its VTOL capabilities.

Tom Cruise as Maverick waaaay back in 1986 in the original Top Gun movie

 
 Regardless of how you feel about the whole F-35 project (cost, schedule, capability), when you watch the video below, it's pretty hard not to be exceedingly impressed with what this little beast can do. I love watching the control surfaces and the vectored thrust nozzle on those rolling, short carrier takeoffs! (the 1:50 mark is a good example) - I hope the onboard computers have chips that are well cooled as I'm guessing there's some serious processing going on there.

 So, whenever the Top Gun 2 movie actually hits the big screen, the scientology star for me will be the F-35, not Tom. The F-35 is all about applying science and technology to produce the ultimate fighter, so I figure if I'm gonna have to talk about scientology, I'm gonna apply it all to the Lightning II.

 I'm guessing Tom is hoping people focus on the F-35's scientology too : )
 

(click pic for hi-res)  Another awesome CoolPix view of the F-35B doing carrier VTOL

(F-35 images from Lockheed Martin)
 

CoolPix: F-35A 2Fer As Eglin Flight Operations Begin

F-35A #AF-07 In 33rd Fighter Wing paint over Edwards Air Force Base in California

(click pix for hi-res)

 I admit that I spend more time dreaming about making wheel landings in 1940's era taildraggers on beautiful grass runways than I do about the details of where the F-35 program is, but that doesn't mean that I don't pay some attention to what's up with the JSF. So, here are two CoolPix images of F-35A's wearing 33rd Fighter Wing paint for you to drool over as the 33rd FW begins their first full day after having been approved for flight operations yesterday. Here are the details as released by the U.S. Air Force:

2/28/2012 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) -- Officials at the Aeronautical Systems Center here issued a Military Flight Release today that will allow the F-35A Lightning II fighter to begin initial operations at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

This decision was reached after an airworthiness board conducted an assessment that evaluated potential risks and the corresponding mitigation actions to conduct unmonitored flights.

Flying the Air Force variant of the joint strike fighter will increase pilot and maintainer familiarity with the aircraft, exercise the logistics infrastructure and continue to develop aircraft maturity. These initial F-35A flights will be limited, scripted, conducted within the restrictions and stipulations of the MFR and flown by qualified pilots, officials said.

"The Air Force, Joint Strike Fighter Program Office and other stakeholders have painstakingly followed established risk acceptance and mitigation processes to ensure the F-35A is ready," said Gen. Donald Hoffman, the commander of Air Force Materiel Command, the parent organization of ASC. "This is an important step for the F-35A and we are confident the team has diligently balanced the scope of initial operations with system maturity."

The assessment was conducted with airworthiness engineering subject matter experts within ASC and was fully coordinated with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program Office, Air Education and Training Command and other expert participants. The Air Force is confident the aircraft is ready to fly in a safe and efficient manner, Hoffman said. (Courtesy of 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs.)

33rd Fighter Wing Mission: The 33rd Fighter Wing is a joint graduate flying and maintenance training wing for the F-35A, B, and C, organized under Air Education and Training Command's 19th Air Force. It is an associate unit at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., an Air Force Materiel Command base.

F-35A #AF-08 in 33rd Fighter Wing paint near Eglin Air Force Base in Florida

Video: First F-35B Carrier Landing: No Wire, No Net, No Problem!

 No wire and no net cuz they aren't needed when you can land VTOL! And VTOL is what the B model of the F-35 can do, whereas the C model has the larger wing and hook for a more traditional approach to getting onboard the boat. This first-ever vertical landing on a ship for the F-35 looked picture perfect, and hopefully this first phase of ship trials will put this part of the program right on target.

F-35B makes first ever vertical carrier landing on Monday, October 3, 2011

 Here's the press release info:

ABOARD USS WASP, At sea – The Navy and Marine Corps Team made more remarkable naval aviation history today as the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) test aircraft BF-2 landed safely on USS Wasp’s (LHD-1) flight deck, the first at sea vertical landing for the Marine Corps’ F-35 JSF version.

Marine Corps test pilot Lt. Col. Fred Schenk landed BF-2 at 3:12 pm. “It was exactly like we predicted,” said Schenk. “But that’s because of all the hard work and extensive preparation done by the Wasp and JSF team.”

The first vertical landing is part of the initial ship trials for the F-35B which started Monday and is expected to last two-weeks. The tests are scheduled to collect data on the aircraft’s ability to perform short take-offs and vertical landings on a ship at sea, as well as determine how the aircraft integrates with the ship’s landing systems, and deck and hangar operations.

This test period, the first of three scheduled at-sea test periods over the course of the development program, will also collect environmental data on the deck through added instrumentation to measure the F-35B’s impact to flight deck operations.

“The first at sea vertical landing is a huge milestone,” said Marine Corps Col. Roger Cordell, military site director for F-35 test and evaluation at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. “We’re still early in this test period, and we expect to learn a lot more, but this is a great step toward delivering the capability to the fleet.”

Wasp spent time in a shipyard earlier this year, preparing for the F-35 test period; adding specialized instrumentation to measure deck environmental effects. “It is no small feat to put together sea trials,” said Vice Admiral David Venlet, F-35 Program Executive Officer. “This test was planned to happen on 3 October back in early spring of this year and the team delivered on schedule. Signs of dependable performance are emerging across broad aspects of the development program. Professionals from the Navy, Marine Corps and industry team of Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems and Pratt and Whitney and Rolls Royce continue to work tirelessly to deliver this aircraft to the fleet.”

“Every time an aircraft is first tested at sea we learn a great deal and the data collected from this event will inform us about the further development work necessary to successfully integrate the F-35B on large-deck amphibious ships. By all accounts, we’re off to a great start today,” Venlet said.

The F-35B is the variant of the Joint Strike Fighter for the U.S. Marine Corps, capable of short take-offs and vertical landings for use on amphibious ships or expeditionary airfields to provide air power to the

Marine Air-Ground Task Force. The F-35B will replace Marine AV-8B Harriers and F-18 Hornets and is undergoing test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River prior to delivery to the fleet.

In addition to being the first ship to successfully land the F-35B, USS Wasp was also the first ship to host the V-22 Osprey during shipboard trials in October 2007. Summary information regarding the performance of the F-35B ship trials will be made available after the completion of the test period.

Additional information about the Joint Strike Fighter Program can be found at www.jsf.mil

Video: F-35C Makes First Ever Steam Powered Takeoff!

 The Navy version of the Joint Strike Fighter is the F-35C and it made its first ever steam catapult launch system takeoff yesterday. This variant has a larger wing and control surfaces, as well as folding wing tips and strengthened landing gear for carrier operations. The steam catapult launch test was conducted in Lakehurst, New Jersey on a land based (non carrier) launch system. From the video above, it looks to have been a great success. That's progress!