Lockheed Martin released the video of the first ever Vertical Take Off conducted by an F-35B Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing (STOVL) Lightning II test aircraft. The test was completed May 10 at Naval Air Station Patuxen River, Md. The historic, albeit brief, flight occurred just a month after the Joint Strike Fighter program completed the first ever […]
F-35 Watch
Top U.S. Defense Department officials say they’re concerned the slow pace of software development may delay the delivery of the most lethal version of the F-35 fighter jet beyond 2017. The program manager, Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, told lawmakers today the issue was his top priority.
The Pentagon’s F-35 Lighting II is now twice as expensive as program officials originally envisioned, but a long-time critic of the program still praised the joint strike fighter’s recent successes. Over the past 12 years, the F-35 program’s estimated cost has grown from an estimated $231 billion in 2001 to $390 billion. The estimated cost […]
Boeing Co. as early as this summer will fly for the first time an upgraded version of the F/A-18 Super Hornet that it’s pitching to the U.S. Navy as an alternative to the Lockheed Martin Corp.-made F-35, a Boeing vice president said. A Super Hornet outfitted with a weapons pod on its belly, an avionics […]
Here’s a video of the F-35B Lightning II recently completing the first short takeoff and vertical landing during a night-time test mission. Marine Corps test pilot Maj. C.R. Clift conducted the flight April 2 to gather data on the helmet and lighting conditions for night-time operations, according to an April 5 press release. The F-35B […]
