Lockheed Martin F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft completed its 500th vertical landing on August 3. BF-1, the aircra...
Lockheed Martin F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft completed its 500th vertical landing on August 3. BF-1, the aircraft which completed this achievement, was also the first to accomplish the variant’s first vertical landing in March 2010 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.
Next week, the second round of Sea Trials, known as Developmental Test 2 (DT-2) are scheduled to begin for the F-35B variant onboard the USS WASP. DT-2 is the second of three planned tests aimed at defining and expanding the F-35B’s shipboard operating envelope for the U.S. Marine Corps. The first shipboard testing phase was successfully completed in October 2011. The successful completion of the upcoming Sea Trials is key to declaring F-35 Initial Operating Capability (IOC) for the U.S. Marine Corps in 2015.
The F-35 family includes the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant, the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant, and the F-35C carrier variant (CV).
Designed to operate from austere bases and a range of air-capable ships with its short takeoff/vertical landing capability, the F-35B can also takeoff and land conventionally from longer runways on major bases. F-35B aircraft have been delivered to the U.S. Marines and the U.K., whose forces are training together at the Integrated Training Center at Eglin Air Force Base. STOVL aircraft are also stationed atthe first operational F-35 base, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, and are completing flight test at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. The Italian Air Force will also operate the B-variant.
The F-35B has a Lift Fan just behind the cockpit and an engine that can swivel 90 degrees when in short takeoff/vertical landing mode. Because of the Lift Fan, the the STOVL variant has smaller internal weapon bay and less internal fuel capacity than the F-35A. It uses the probe and drogue method of aerial refueling.
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