December
New Hover Pit Awaits F-35B
On November 9th, Lockheed Martin introduced the new F-35B hover pit at the company’s Fort Worth, Texas, plant. The state-of-the-art hover pit comprises a 160-foot by 80-foot galvanised steel grate suspended over a sloping pit that graduates from 6 feet to 16 feet in depth. It will enable the F-35B to run its short takeoff/vertical landing propulsion system at all power settings while the aircraft is anchored to the pit. Engineers will measure the STOVL system’s output and its effect on the aircraft’s structure and behavior, comparing it to computer-model predictions. The tests will ensure that the STOVL system is operating as intended before the plane’s first flight next spring.
Tail Assembly Complete for First F-35B
The horizontal tails have been fitted to the first short takeoff/vertical landing aircraft, BF-1. The tails, designed and manufactured by BAE Systems, were the final major airframe mate for BF-1 and were described by BAE Systems as a “perfect fit,” demonstrating again the high production quality that is being achieved by all of the F-35 industry partners.
October
F-35A Flies to Edwards Air Force Base
The first Lockheed Martin F-35A flew from Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas, to Edwards Air Force Base, California, on October 1st, to begin expanded flight testing. Flying non-stop for more than 1,000 nautical miles, this was the aircraft’s first long-range, cross-country flight. Flight Testing at Edwards started on October 7th.
Fabrication Begins for First Production-Model F-35
Northrop Grumman hosted a ceremony on October 25th at its Advanced Composites Manufacturing Center in El Segundo, California, to celebrate the start of fabrication of the first all-composite inlet duct for the Air Force’s first production F-35A. Matt Maxwell, Lockheed Martin’s program manager for the first phase of Low Rate Initial Production, thanked Northrop Grumman employees at the ceremony for their hard work and dedication to the F-35 programme and to the country.
Northrop Grumman Delivers Center Fuselage for First Weight-Optimized F-35A
Northrop Grumman has completed the center fuselage for the first weight-optimized Air Force F-35 Lightning II test aircraft (left) – a conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) variant. The company celebrated the milestone with a ceremony October 26th at its F-35 assembly facility in Palmdale, California. The event also marked the sixth anniversary of the awarding of the original F-35 System Development and Demonstration contract to the Lockheed Martin-led team.
September
First F-35B on Track; Static-Test F-35 Completes Review
The first F-35B, a short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant, has begun modifications to prepare for STOVL mode flight in early 2009. It has flown 14 times since its June. Testing is well under way on the first dedicated F-35 static test airframe. On September 30th, the engineering team completed a test readiness review, revealing the airframe is structurally sound.
August
Fourth F-35 Lightning II Rolls Out As Production Line Fills Up At Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin finished assembly of the fourth F-35 Lightning II aircraft, a short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B, on the 18th August in Fort Worth, Texas. The new aircraft was immediately moved to the flight line, where it will undergo an extensive battery of ground tests before its first flight in early 2009.
F-35 Software Development on Track
Software development for the most software intensive aircraft in history remains on schedule as the F-35 passes the half-way mark in its development phase. As of mid-summer 2008, 60 percent of F-35 software development was complete.
F-35 Programme Inaugurates Moving Assembly Line
The F-35 programme completed construction of its moving assembly line at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth factory on 17th July, 2008. The continuously moving line, projected to save the programme $324 million, is geared to ensure delivery of one aircraft per working day at peak production while improving quality.
Centre Fuselage Finished for First U.S. Navy F-35 Aircraft
On the 15th August, Northrop Grumman completed the centre fuselage for the first U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II aircraft. The company celebrated the production milestone at the Palmdale, California facility where it assembles centre fuselages for F-35 prime contractor Lockheed Martin. The section is the seventh of 10 centre fuselages that Northrop Grumman plans to deliver this year, and is one of 19 being produced for the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase of the F-35 programme.
July
F-35B Logs Flights 4, 5 and 6 in Early July
The short takeoff/vertical landing F-35B Lightning II flew three times during the one-week period starting July 3 and ending July 10, marking its 4th, 5th and 6th missions since the June 11 first flight. The aircraft is on pace for further flight envelope expansion as the summer progresses.
Two STOVL Jets Now on the Moving Assembly Line
The second and third F-35Bs, known as BF-2 and BF-3 (pictured), are on the moving assembly line and transitioning into the last phases of final assembly at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, Texas, plant. Both STOVL jets are scheduled to make their first flights in the early part of next year: BF-2 in the first quarter and BF-3 in the second quarter.
Pilots Practice Optimized STOVL Landing
The BAE Systems team recently hosted Joint Strike Fighter program test pilots to simulate specifi cally designed for landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier. The maneuver, shipborne rolling vertical landing, is a development of a land-based technique used by the Harrier. This procedure allows the aircraft to land on a carrier with a low-speed approach instead of a vertical approach, enabling the STOVL variant to land with a heavier payload.
Northrop Grumman Team Slashes Production Time
A team of Northrop Grumman employees has been honored for dramatically reducing the time it takes to apply special coatings to the Lightning II’s inlet ducts. The robotic process educes the time required to apply and cure the coatings by about 60 percent. The team, which won the Integrated Systems Sector President’s Award for its work, is validating other cost effective formulas and processes that promise to further cut coating time and reduce environmental impacts.
June
F-35B STOVL Stealth Fighter Achieves Successful First Flight
With test pilot Graham Tomlinson at the controls, the short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B Lightning II streaked into blue Texas skies on Wednesday, June 11, 2008, marking the fi rst fl ight of an aircraft that will provide a combination of capabilities never before available: stealth, supersonic speed and STOVL basing fl exibility.
Tomlinson, a former Royal Air Force Harrier pilot now employed by BAE Systems, performed the conventional takeoff at 10:17 AM from Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth facility and guided the jet to 15,000 feet in the air while performing a series of handling tests, engine-power variations and subsystems checks before landing at 11:01 a.m. The F-35B has since fl own two more times.
F-35 Static-Test Airframe Completes First Tests
On June 25, engineers and technicians completed on schedule the initial phase of testing for the fi rst F-35 static-test airframe. Pressure tests were conducted on all fuel tanks and the cockpit, and the lift fan vane-box nozzle and nose landing gear door underwent load testing. The airframe, an F-35B STOVL variant, will move to its main fi xture in early July for tests to support hover pit testing for F-35B fl ight test aircraft. The static-test airframe, known as BG-1, is the fi rst of six dedicated ground-test aircraft on the F-35 program. The static-test articles are used to validate the strength of the F-35 airframe. Each F-35 variant will have two airframes dedicated to ground testing during the program’s System Development and Demonstration phase.
May
F-35B STOVL Stealth Fighter Achieves Successful First Flight
With test pilot Graham Tomlinson at the controls, the short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B Lightning II streaked into blue Texas skies on Wednesday, June 11, 2008, marking the fi rst fl ight of an aircraft that will provide a combination of capabilities never before available: stealth, supersonic speed and STOVL basing fl exibility.
Tomlinson, a former Royal Air Force Harrier pilot now employed by BAE Systems, performed the conventional takeoff at 10:17 AM from Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth facility and guided the jet to 15,000 feet in the air while performing a series of handling tests, engine-power variations and subsystems checks before landing at 11:01 a.m. The F-35B has since fl own two more times.
F-35 Static-Test Airframe Completes First Tests
On June 25, engineers and technicians completed on schedule the initial phase of testing for the fi rst F-35 static-test airframe. Pressure tests were conducted on all fuel tanks and the cockpit, and the lift fan vane-box nozzle and nose landing gear door underwent load testing. The airframe, an F-35B STOVL variant, will move to its main fi xture in early July for tests to support hover pit testing for F-35B fl ight test aircraft. The static-test airframe, known as BG-1, is the fi rst of six dedicated ground-test aircraft on the F-35 program. The static-test articles are used to validate the strength of the F-35 airframe. Each F-35 variant will have two airframes dedicated to ground testing during the program’s System Development and Demonstration phase.
April
STOVL Engine Powers Up
Test pilot Graham Tomlinson of BAE Systems started the F-35B’s engine for the first time on Friday, April 18, throttling up to full military power (non-afterburner) in two successful tests. The Pratt & Whitney F135 was evaluated for nearly an hour of run time at a variety of power settings, initiating the final series of ground tests before the first flight of the short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) jet in the May/June time frame.
Northrop Grumman Begins Assembling First F-35 Production Jet
On March 24, Northrop Grumman began assembling the center fuselage for the U.S. Air Force’s first production model F-35A Lightning II. The process, which began about one week ahead of schedule, consisted of loading the jet’s all-composite air inlet ducts into a tooling fixture at the company’s Palmdale Manufacturing Center. The aircraft will be delivered to the Air Force in 2010.
F-35 Program Costs Fall
The latest Selected Acquisition Report by the U.S. Department of Defense estimates that F-35 program costs over the aircraft’s three-decade production run decreased by nearly $1 billion -- from $299.8 billion to $298.8 billion. The cost-reduction estimate was attributed in part to lower material costs related to agreements made by Lockheed Martin and its subcontractors, and revised estimates of support costs.
Pratt & Whitney F135 Team Completes STOVL Altitude Flight Qualification Testing
Pratt & Whitney completed all altitude testing necessary for flight qualification of the F135 propulsion system at the U.S. Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tennessee. As part of the F135 system development and demonstration program, the test included more than 130 hours at various flight conditions demonstrating propulsion system performance, operability, afterburner capability and the ability of the engine control to detect and accommodate various simulated component faults.
March
F136 Engine Completes Review
The GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team has successfully completed Critical Design Review (CDR), a key milestone in the development of the F136 engine for the F-35 Lightning II. The five-month CDR process involved 80 detailed component and module design reviews conducted by the Joint Strike Fighter Program Office.
F-35 Stretches Flight Envelope
F-35 AA-1 is expanding its flight test activities. Scheduled upgrades, including updating the flight test software, will provide the jet with greater envelope operating capability. The work clears the way for the F -35’s next major flight test milestone, aerial refueling.
Good Vibes for F-35B
Initial ground-vibration test results for F-35 BF-1, the first short takeoff/vertical landing test jet, matched pre-test predictions for vibration modes and frequencies. The tests characterize the aircraft’s responses to inputs to the wings, tails, rudders and flaps, and their success reinforces confidence in the F-35 design.
F135 Clears 9,000 Hours
The Pratt & Whitney F135 engine recently exceeded 9,000 system development and demonstration (SDD) ground test hours. The achievement, in addition to the 3,600 test hours accumulated during the F-35 concept demonstration program, puts engine test program hours at more than 12,600. Pratt & Whitney officials say the F135 is demonstrating “maturity, flexibility and reliability.”
February
F-35 STOVL Jet Successful in First Ground Test
On Jan. 16, the first F-35B Lightning II successfully completed its fuel-system checkout five days ahead of schedule. The test was the first in a series of ground tests leading up to first flight of the short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant in mid-2008. The jet now moves on to structural-coupling testing -- a critical step in preparation for the STOVL variant’s first flight.
First Avionics-Equipped F-35 Receives Major Hardware
Key systems for the first avionics-equipped F-35 have been delivered well in advance of the jet’s first flight -- a strong indication of the maturity of F-35 mission systems. BF-4, the fourth STOVL F-35 and the first to be equipped with mission systems, will make its inaugural flight next year. The electronic warfare system, aircraft memory system cartridges, electro-optical distributed aperture systems sensors and radar all were delivered in December.
USAF Flies F-35
Lt. Col. James “Flipper” Kromberg (right) of the U.S. Air Force became the first military pilot to fly the F -35 on Jan. 30, praising the aircraft’s power and describing its handling as “phenomenal.” It was the 26th flight for the F-35. The 27th flight occurred a few hours later.
‘CATBird’ Moves Deeper Into F-35 Avionics Testing
The Cooperative Avionics Test Bed resumed testing in January at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth after returning from FAA certifications in Florida. A Jan. 14 test aboard the modified 737 validated F-35 radar altimeter low-altitude operation. “CATBird” completed its first round of avionics tests in half the planned time. Technicians will now install and activate the inertial navigation system, global positioning system, electronic warfare, radar and an F-35 cockpit to support airborne Block 0.5 avionics system testing.