F-35B makes first vertical landing at Yuma
A first for the Corps outside of testing
By Gretel C. Kovach3:51 p.m.March 21, 2013
An F-35B from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 lands vertically at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Mar. 21, 2013. BF-19 was piloted by Maj. Richard Rusnok, an F-35B test pilot. (photo by U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Jessica Smith) An F-35B from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 lands vertically at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Mar. 21, 2013. BF-19 was piloted by Maj. Richard Rusnok, an F-35B test pilot. (photo by U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Jessica Smith
The first operational squadron of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets passed a milestone Thursday in Yuma when the Marine Corps version of the aircraft made its first vertical landing outside of testing.
The first F-35 squadron meant to eventually fly the jet in combat was established in November at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma -- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121. Until now the squadron was not allowed to perform the F-35Bs signature feature, its ability to land like a helicopter.
Maj. Richard Rusnok, an F-35B test pilot flying BF-19, conducted the first hover and vertical landing for the squadron, the Marine Corps announced. The commanding officer, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Scott, accompanied him in a second F-35B as a chase aircraft.
Meanwhile, the military has been prepping pilots on the new aircraft at the F-35 Integrated Training Center at Eglin and testing it at Edwards Air Force Base, Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., and at sea.
Although the Yuma squadron is considered the first operational unit of F-35, the jet is far from ready for combat. The squadron cannot deploy with its F-35Bs until they are upgraded with software revisions not expected until mid-2015.
The Yuma squadron is building up to about 300 Marines and 16 aircraft expected by late 2013. The first F-35 squadron is not expected in San Diego at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar until fiscal 2021.
The $396 billion F-35 program, the Pentagons most expensive and by some measures most ambitious ever, has been under development by Lockheed Martin since 2001.
Because of its cost, technical glitches and slipped development timeline, the F-35 program has been continually sniped at for potential curtailment or cancellation. Most recently, a controversial report released this month by the Center for a New American
Security
, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, suggested scrapping the whole program, as well as phasing out aircraft carriers.
The move to cancel the always-troubled JSF now while simultaneously extending production of the lower-cost Hornets, would free $70 million per aircraft for investment in unmanned aerial combat vehicles, or drones, flying off smaller ships, wrote Capt. Henry Hendrix,
a career
naval flight officer.
The aircraft, also called the Lightning II, was conceived as a relatively affordable fifth generation stealth jet to be used across the services, saving money through a common production line, design and parts. Three versions were developed: one for the Marine Corps that would protect the services ability to operate from short runways in austere locations and small amphibious ships, an Air Force model using conventional runways, and a Navy version for aircraft carriers.
The F-35B is slated to replace three types of aircraft in the Marine fleet: F/A-18 Hornets, AV-8B Harriers and EA/6B Prowlers.
As the Air Force tests and trains on its version and the Navy awaits delivery of its first production tailhook model, the Marine variant has faced the most performance pressure and danger of cancellation. Critics point to ongoing engineering challenges in the most complicated F-35 variant and say the Corps can do without a vertically landing jet.
The first production model of the Navys F-35C carrier variant flew its inaugural sortie in February. It is expected to be delivered to Eglin Air Force Base later this year for Strike Fighter Squadron 101, a training unit.
[video]http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/Yuma_VL-v2.jpg[/video]
The program's progressing nicely.
The first operational UK pilot selected to fly the Lockheed Martin F-35B undertook his first training sortie in the Joint Strike Fighter on 19 March at Eglin AFB, Florida.
"It flies very smoothly," says Royal Air Force Sqn Ldr Frankie Buchler, who previously flew the Sepecat Jaguar and Eurofighter Typhoon. "Nothing unexpected, it went pretty well."
US Marine Corps Capt Daniel Flatley, who was flying as Buchler's instructor in another F-35B, says the purpose of the first training sortie was primarily to familiarise the student with the differences between the simulator and the real aircraft. Additionally, the student had to familiarise himself with flying the F-35B around the traffic pattern at the base.
"Really, the landing pattern is what we want to expose the student to on the first flight," Flatley says.
With one flight out of the way, Buchler has five more sorties to complete before undertaking his checkride in the F-35B. After he receives his initial qualifications in the aircraft, he will undertake an instructor pilot upgrade course.
Wg Cdr Jon Millington, the senior UK officer at Eglin AFB, says the next UK pilot to qualify on the F-35B will be Royal Navy Lt Cdr Ian Tidball, who will fly in the coming weeks.
The British pilots who are undergoing training at Eglin AFB are highly experienced aviators with operational test and weapons instructor pilot backgrounds, Buchler says.
Another pilot, who will eventually become the commander of the British F-35B operational test squadron, will be selected "shortly" - but that selection is currently on hold, Millington says. The UK is also training a dozen maintainers at the Florida base, he adds. More UK engineers and maintainers will undergo F-35 academics at the site starting in September 2013.
For the next few months, the first two UK pilots and maintainers will remain at Eglin AFB, operating as part of the USMC's VMFAT-501 squadron, until they move to Edwards AFB, California. The personnel are spilt 50:50 between the RAF and RN. "The 12 that we've got here plus our two pilots will form up the initial cadre of our test and evaluation squadron, which will move up to Edwards in the spring next year," Millington says. In addition to the British personnel, the two UK F-35Bs currently assigned to Eglin AFB will also be transferred to the California base.
Under the current plan, 17 Sqn, which is a joint RAF and RN unit, will conduct operational testing through 2015 to 2016, Millington says. If everything goes according schedule, the UK hopes to stand-up its first operational F-35B squadron consisting of RAF and RN personnel in 2018. But, Millington cautions, the dates are not set in ston,e given the F-35's programmatic fluctuations.
A third UK F-35B is expected to arrive this April at Eglin AFB, Millington says. The aircraft will be the first F-35 stationed at the base to be equipped with the more advanced Block 2A software. Aircraft currently at the base are in the older Block 1A and 1B configuration.
RAF's first operational F-35 pilot flies first training sortie
. This is an awesome picture. I hope it isn't photoshop. 
so missiles + pylon will increase rcs by at least 1 m2 )
) and also can be defeat by the use of datalink to correct missiles course 
