F-35s complete training ‘deployment’ for first time

[Hindustani78]

At Crossroads, F-35 Still Faces Challenges
Aircraft CF-5 during High AoA Departure Resistance testing with external stores (AIM-9X's and GBU-12's) on July 28 near NAS Patuxent River, Md.(Photo: Lockheed Martin)

7:12 p.m. EDT September 9, 2015
Over the past five years, the F-35 joint strike fighter has overcome massive cost overruns, schedule delays and a host of technical snags. The US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps jets are now on track to meet key deadlines, and proponents of the program brag that costs have remained steady since 2010.

But as the Pentagon prepares for a new challenge — tripling production of the next-generation fighter jet — F-35 program leaders are bracing for an uphill climb.

Next year, F-35-maker Lockheed Martin will deliver 43 aircraft to the services. During the three years after that, the Pentagon will ramp up production to more than 120 aircraft each year, according to Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, head of the F-35 joint program office. The JPO is concerned the F-35 manufacturing base will not be able to keep up with such a drastic surge, he said.

"Acquisition rule of thumb says we probably, year-to-year, don't want to do more than about 50 percent what you did the year before," Bogdan said Wednesday at the ComDef conference in Washington. "If you do the math and you are going to triple in three years, you are not on a 50-percent-per-year slope."

"That gives me some pause," Bogdan said.

And it's not just the US military that is buying more F-35s. This week, Italy flew its first jet; later this month, Norway will celebrate the rollout of its first aircraft.

It is only the beginning of the global ramp up: by the end of 2019, the JPO will have 493 operational jets around the globe, compared with just 126 today. In the next four years, the JPO will stand up 17 new operating locations, more than half of them abroad.

The burden is on the manufacturing base to keep up with this global demand, Bogdan said.

"So we have to create a global sustainment enterprise that can sustain an airplane no matter where it is, no matter which partner has, it no matter what [Foreign Military Sales] customer has it, in a way that's effective for the warfighter," he said.

The F-35 supply base may not be able to sustain that workload, Bogdan cautioned. As production spikes, maintainers must not only keep pace with everyday repairs, but also modify existing and future aircraft due to concurrent development and production.

While the Marine Corps earlier this summer declared initial operating capability with the latest Block 2B software, the final configuration, Block 3F, will not deliver until mid-2017. At that point, each aircraft must be upgraded to the latest software configuration to reach full capability.

And since the Pentagon decided to move to initial production before completing the test program, maintainers must install fixes to operational planes as problems crop up with the test fleet. Maintenance teams are busy installing these modifications to existing aircraft and jets coming off the ramp, for instance the engine fix that stemmed from a fire at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, last summer.

"So when we have those 493 airplanes out in the field in 2019, guess how many will be in what I consider to be the right configuration? Not a one," Bogdan said. "Every airplane coming off the line now and coming off in the next two and a half years, plus all the airplanes we've built already, will need some form of modification to get them up to the full capability that we promised the war fighter."

Each aircraft confined to the depot for modification is one less plane the services can use to train pilots and maintainers, Bogdan emphasized. This is a particular problem for the Air Force, which must meet certain training requirements in order to declare IOC in 2016.

To address this gap, the JPO is sending field teams to do F-35A depot work at the bases, rather than bringing the jets to the depots, Bogdan said. This saves time on the front and back end of the process, allowing the maintenance teams to move the jets through modifications more quickly.

The Air Force also may be able to borrow Navy and Marine Corps planes, or even jets from partner nations, to complete some training, Bogdan said.

"The biggest constraint to the mod program right now other than money — because it costs an awful lot of money to do that — is can the service, can the partner afford to keep the airplane down that long without their pilots flying?" Bogdan said. "So we have to try to balance that."

At the same time, the JPO still has work to do on the jet's Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), which manages maintenance and sustainment for the entire fighter fleet, Bogdan noted. ALIS "has not met its potential yet," he said.

The F-35 program is no longer experiencing schedule delays or cost overruns, and has surmounted major technical issues with the engine, helmet, tail hook and more, Bogdan emphasized. But despite this progress, the JPO has a lot of work to do.

"From my perspective, the program is at a pivot point," Bogdan said. "We used to be slow and steady — we are passed slow and steady now."

F-35C Lightning IIs, assigned to the Grim Reapers of Strike Fighter Squadron 101, and an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, assigned to the Naval Aviation Warfighter Development Center, fly over Naval Air Station Fallon's Range Training Complex on Sept. 3. VFA 101, based out of Eglin Air Force Base, is conducting an F-35C cross-country visit to NASF. The purpose is to begin integration of F-35C with the Fallon Range Training Complex and work with NAWDC to refine tactics, techniques and procedures of F-35C as it integrates into the carrier air wing. MC1 Joseph R. Vincent/Navy

 

[Hindustani78]

Navy F-35Cs flew for two weeks of training this summer with Top Gun pilots to hone aerial tactics and techniques as the Navy prepares to integrate this stealth aircraft into carrier air wings in coming years.(Photo: MC1 Joseph R. Vincent/Navy)

F-35s hone dog fighting skills at Top Gun for 1st time


NAVAL AIR STATION FALLON, Nevada — The Navy's sole F-35C squadron made its first trip to the hallowed strike fighter ground here to hone tactical skills and fly for the first time with F/A-18 Hornets.

Strike Fighter Squadron 101's "Grim Reapers" wrapped up two weeks of training with Top Gun fliers at Fallon's Naval Strike Air Warfare Development Center on Friday, the fleet replacement squadron's latest step in putting the F-35C Lightning II through its paces toward its initial operating capability in 2017.

"The first thing is, it’s cool. The cool doesn’t wear off," pilot Lt. Cmdr. Patrick "Turtle" Rice said on Thursday. "It’s just a lot of new toys."

The Eglin Air Force Base, Florida-based squadron flew four of its 18 aircraft to Fallon on Aug. 28, VFA-101 commanding officer Cmdr. James "Cruiser" Christie said, with three main goals.

First, he said, was to assess established strike fighter tactics, techniques and procedures with a new dynamic: joint strike fighters and Hornets flying missions together, as they're scheduled to do until the F/A-18E-F Super Hornets are retired in the 2030s.

It's a big change, Rice said, because flying Hornets is so predictable thanks to decades of experience. Now they're learning how the F-35C handles as they go along.

"Something I’ve noticed with the program — it’s still being discovered in real time," he said. "It’s contrary to our habit patterns, where almost everything is a known quantity."

Because the Navy is the last service to start integrating the new platform, he added, they're fine-tuning lessons learned from the Air Force and Marine Corps variants, who went first.

The next test is executing another detachment with the F-35, which will become a regular part of its training cycle, as it is with all squadrons.

"It is really cool to be taking this aircraft to the first places it ever goes," said Master Chief Avionics Technician (AW/SW) Mike Baker, VFA-101's maintenance master chief, who spent 25 years working on Hornets and Super Hornets before transitioning to the Lightning II last year.

"We've got four planes, doing real missions with real exercises going on out there," he said of the Fallon trip. "We’re the first ones to do this, so we own that, too."

And last is to give NAS Fallon a taste of what it will be like to fly F-35s when NAWDC receives their order in 2022.

Top Gun will be home to six JSFs, according to NAS Fallon spokesman Zip Upham, which will require infrastructure updates like outdoor canopies for the aircraft, to protect the cockpits from desert heat, for example.

Paving the way

Both Baker and Christie, who have half a century of strike fighter experience between them, said that while switching from F/A-18 to F-35 is a challenge, they're more than up for it.

"The new aircraft — it has four tires, it creates lift, it makes a lot of noise when it takes off. Other than that, it’s a completely different aircraft," Baker said.

In particular, he added, the JSFs are used across three services and several other countries, so the maintainers are sharing their knowledge far and wide.

For Christie, the Fallon trip was a homecoming, after serving as the CO of Top Gun and the Naval Strike Warfare Center, both based there.

He studied the F-35 from an academic perspective in the past few years, but he got to put it all into practice when he took command of VFA-101 in July, where he could "fly the airplane that I knew from a glossy brochure," he said.

"When you have over 3,000 hours, the physics of flying doesn’t change, and the thrill of flying never leaves you," he added. "Flying is still fun and exciting, and I’m just lucky that I’m not in khakis at the Pentagon right now."

The biggest difference, he said, is the intuitive way it flies. Where flying a Hornet is a constant dance of steering and adjusting speed with the throttle, the F-35 simplifies that balance by self-correcting its speed.

"That’s necessarily incorporated into the airplane basically because the mission sets that this airplane executes are so complex," he said. "It’s based off of so much information coming into the cockpit that you need to be able to have an airplane that’s easy to fly instinctively, so you can devote the majority of your mental faculties to absorbing and processing that information."

VFA-101 made its way home to Eglin on Friday — a 4 and a half hour flight with one stopover — just as naval aviation's annual Tailhook Association Reunion kicked off in nearby Sparks, Nevada.

The F-35C is on track for delivery to the fleet in 2017, with the first deployments going out the following year, Upham said.

 

[Hindustani78]

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct. 2, 2015) An F-35C Lightning II carrier variant joint strike fighter assigned to the Salty Dogs of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 makes an arrested landing aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). The F-35C Lightning II Pax River Integrated Test Force is currently conducting follow-on sea trials aboard the Eisenhower. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Anderson W. Branch/Released)

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct. 2, 2015) An F-35C Lightning II carrier variant Joint Strike Fighter from the Pax River Integrated Test Force conducts its first arrested landing aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). Two F-35Cs from the Salty Dogs of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 are conducting follow-on developmental test (DT-II) sea trials aboard the Eisenhower. Cmdr. Tony "Brick" Wilson flew aircraft 73/CF-03 and Lt. Chris "TJ" Karapostoles flew aircraft 75/CF-05. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy Lockheed Martin photo by Andy Wolfe/Released)

 

[Hindustani78]

An F-35C Lightning II test aircraft approaches for a landing aboard the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower of the coast of Norfolk, Va.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

An F-35C Lightning II test aircraft approaches for a landing aboard the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower of the coast of Norfolk, Va.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Lockheed F-35s finish at-sea test flights as U.S. Navy warms to new jet| Reuters

Two Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets wrapped up a second round of successful test flights off the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier on Friday, a key milestone toward operational use of the jets by the U.S. Navy in coming years.

The flight tests took place about 100 miles off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia, in crosswinds of about 40 knots, and included the first night flights at sea with a redesigned helmet made by Rockwell Collins Inc and Israel's Elbit Systems.

The high-risk flights also tested the jets' ability to take off with less airspeed, with after-burners and with heavier loads of simulated weapons. During normal F-35C launches, a jet goes from zero to 150 miles per hour, traveling the 310-foot length of the catapult in about two seconds.

The results will set the standards for fleetwide F-35C catapult launch settings for the service life of the aircraft, said Joe DellaVedova, spokesman for the $391 billion weapons program, the Pentagon's most expensive arms project.

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral John Haley, commander of Naval Air Force Atlantic, said developmental testing of the F-35C, the carrier variant of the new stealthy fighter jet, had been "pretty doggone good" compared with earlier aircraft.

“We’re basically two years from being operational,” Haley told reporters aboard the ship known as "Ike," which recently completed a nearly two-year period in dry dock maintenance.

Navy officials said developmental testing of the F-35C is about 80 percent complete, with a third round of even more difficult at-sea testing planned next summer.

The Navy will be the last of the U.S. services to start using the new jets, following the Marine Corps, which declared an initial squadron combat-ready in July, and the Air Force, which is slated to follow suit in August 2016. The Navy is expected to have a first combat-ready squadron in late 2018.

Haley said the F-35 C-model would provide a "huge benefit" to U.S. military commanders in coming years, working in tandem with Boeing Co F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter jets and EA-18G electronic attack planes for years to come.

He said the jets' ability to fuse data from a variety of radars and other sensors, and then share it with ships and other aircraft, would change the way the U.S. Navy fights wars.

"The F-35 is going to bring ... sensors and an ability to guide the fight, whether it's an air-to-ground fight or an air-to-air fight. They’re going to have an ability that’s going to change how we think about getting to the target, delivering weapons and getting out of the target," Haley said.

Navy Commander Tony Wilson, one of five test pilots involved in the tests on the Eisenhower, said he thought last year's first round of tests on the USS Nimitz, and the jets' participation in a recent integrated test with other aircraft, had helped reverse previous lukewarm support for the program.

He said it was also a huge advantage that the new aircraft could easily be upgraded since it is software-based.

"I think the Navy is going to be excited to see the tactical performance of the aircraft," he said.

 

[mike jones]

nice planes

on the other hand. Here's Chinese's copycat.

 

[anon45]

nice planes

on the other hand. Here's Chinese's copycat.

I wonder what stealth critics think of China and Russia's own forays into the tech. To me it seems like they have been completely discredited.

 

[oproh]

nice planes

on the other hand. Here's Chinese's copycat.

Nice, looks better than the rusty american plane.

 

[mike jones]

Nice, looks better than the rusty american plane.

LOL!! you're so stupid. Go to my block list.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=97428

Story Number: NNS161031-16Release Date: 10/31/2016 12:09:00 PM

From USS America (LHA 6) Public Affairs
PACIFIC OCEAN (NNS) -- Five Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II aircraft landed on the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) on Friday, October 28.

America will embark seven F-35Bs -- two are scheduled to begin the third shipboard phase of developmental test (DT-III) and five are scheduled to conduct operational testing.

America, the first ship of its class, is an aviation-centric platform that incorporates key design elements to accommodate the fifth-generation fighter.

The ship's design features several aviation capabilities enhanced beyond previous amphibious assault ships which include an enlarged hangar deck, realignment and expansion of the aviation maintenance facilities, a significant increase in available stowage of parts and equipment, as well as increased aviation fuel capacity.

America is capable of accommodating F-35Bs, MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, and a complement of Navy and Marine Corps helicopters.

The third test phase will evaluate F-35B Short Take-off Vertical Landing (STOVL) operations in a high-sea state, shipboard landings, and night operations. The cadre of flight test pilots, engineers, maintainers, and support personnel from the F-35 Patuxent River Integrated Test Force (ITF) are assigned to Air Test & Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.

"It's exciting to start the execution phase of our detachment with VMX-1 (Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1) on USS America," said Lt. Col. Tom "Sally" Fields, F-35 Patuxent River ITF Government Flight Test director assigned to VX-23. "During the next three weeks, we will be completing critical flight test for both Developmental Test (DT) and Operational Test (OT). The F-35 Pax River ITF and VX-23 will be conducting DT work that will establish the boundaries of safe operation for the F-35B in the 3F configuration. VMX-1 will be conducting OT operations focused on preparing maintenance crews and pilots for the first deployment of the F-35B aboard USS Wasp (LHD 1), scheduled to start in just over a year."

The operational testing will also include simulating extensive maintenance aboard a ship, said Col. George Rowell, commanding officer of VMX-1, based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona.

Rowell stated one of the VMX jets on board will be placed in the hangar bay, taken apart, and put together again, just to make sure everything goes well.

The maintenance work will include the replacement of a lift fan, the specialized equipment made by Rolls Royce and Pratt and Whitney that gives the F-35B variant its short take-off, "jump jet" capability, Rowell said.

The Marine Corps variant of the F-35 Lightning II reached the fleet first, with the service declaring initial operational capability July 2015.

"The F-35 Lightning II is the most versatile, agile, and technologically-advanced aircraft in the skies today, enabling our Corps to be the nation's force in readiness -- regardless of the threat, and regardless of the location of the battle," said Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, deputy commandant for aviation, Marine Corps. "As we modernize our fixed-wing aviation assets for the future, the continued development and fielding of the short take-off and vertical landing, the F-35B remains the centerpiece of this effort."

"The America class of amphibious assault ship design enables it to carry a larger and more diverse complement of aircraft, including the tiltrotor MV-22 Osprey, the new F-35 Lightning II, and a mix of cargo and assault helicopters," added Davis. "America is able to support a wide spectrum of military operations and missions, including putting Marines ashore for combat operations, launching air strikes, keeping sea lanes free and open for the movement of global commerce, and delivering humanitarian aid following a natural disaster."

161028-N-AC237-149 PACIFIC OCEAN (Oct. 28, 2016) An F-35B Lightning II aircraft launches for the first time off the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6). The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world's first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. America, with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, is underway conducting the first phase of developmental testing for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft, which will evaluate the full spectrum of joint strike fighter measures of suitability and effectiveness in an at-sea environment. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Benjamin Wooddy/Released)

161028-N-AC237-301 PACIFIC OCEAN (Oct. 28, 2016) An F-35B Lightning II aircraft launches for the first time off the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6). The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world's first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. America, with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, is underway conducting the first phase of developmental testing for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft, which will evaluate the full spectrum of joint strike fighter measures of suitability and effectiveness in an at-sea environment. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Benjamin Wooddy/Released)

160913-N-N0101-313 WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 13, 2016) This graphic illustration depicts the U.S. Navy's first live fire demonstration to successfully test the integration of the F-35 with existing Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air (NIFC-CA) architecture. During the test at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, Sept. 12, an unmodified U.S. Marine Corps F-35B acted as an elevated sensor to detect an over-the-horizon threat. The aircraft then sent data through its Multi-Function Advanced Data Link to a ground station connected to USS Desert Ship (LLS 1), a land-based launch facility designed to simulate a ship at sea. Using the latest Aegis Weapon System Baseline 9.C1 and a Standard Missile 6, the system successfully detected and engaged the target. (U.S. Navy graphic illustration courtesy of Lockheed Martin/Released)

161030-N-VR008-169 PACIFIC OCEAN (Oct. 30, 2016) Two F-35B Lightning II aircraft land on the flight deck aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6). The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world's first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. America, with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1), Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing and the third phase of developmental testing for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft, respectively. The tests will evaluate the full spectrum of joint strike fighter measures of suitability and effectiveness in an at-sea environment. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyle Goldberg/Released)

 

[Hindustani78]

PACIFIC OCEAN (Oct. 28, 2016) The second of two F-35B Lightning II short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft from Air Test & Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland arrives aboard the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) on Oct. 28. Major John "IKE" Dirk piloted Lightning 65 as he joined the highly diverse cadre of Pax River Integrated Test Force (ITF) technicians, maintainers, engineers, logisticians, support staff and test pilots embarked for the third and final developmental test phase (DT-III) of F-35B carrier suitability and integration. Dirk, a U.S. Marine Corps test pilot, is the officer-in-charge of the detachment. ? Also aboard USS America with the Salty Dogs of VX-23 are Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 1 from Edwards AFB, California and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211 from MCAS Yuma, Arizona. (U.S. Navy Photo by Darin Russell/Released)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 3, 2016) Sailors direct F-35B Lightning II aircraft on the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) during flight operations. The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world's first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. America, with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1), Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing and the third phase of developmental testing for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft, respectively. The tests will evaluate the full spectrum of joint strike fighter measures of suitability and effectiveness in an at-sea environment. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyle Goldberg/Released)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 3, 2016) Senior Chief Petty Officer Brian Robinson, left, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Jared Beasley direct F-35B Lightning II aircraft on the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) during flight operations. The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world's first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. America, with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1), Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing and the third phase of developmental testing for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft, respectively. The tests will evaluate the full spectrum of joint strike fighter measures of suitability and effectiveness in an at-sea environment. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyle Goldberg/Released)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 3, 2016) Marines assigned to Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1) attach a test bomb to an F-35B Lightning II aircraft on the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) to test the F-35B with full armament during take-off and flight. The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world's first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. America, with VMX-1, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing and the third phase of developmental testing for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft, respectively. The tests will evaluate the full spectrum of joint strike fighter measures of suitability and effectiveness in an at-sea environment. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyle Goldberg/Released)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Oct. 28, 2016) Two F-35B Lightning II short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft from Air Test & Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland are secured to the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) on Oct. 28. The highly diverse cadre of Pax River Integrated Test Force (ITF) technicians, maintainers, engineers, logisticians, support staff and test pilots embarked for the third and final developmental test phase (DT-III) of F-35B carrier suitability and integration. Also aboard USS America with the Salty Dogs of VX-23 are Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 1 from Edwards AFB, California and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211 from MCAS Yuma, Arizona. (U.S. Navy Photo by Darin Russell/Released)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Oct. 28, 2016) Two F-35B Lightning II short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft from Air Test & Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland are welcomed aboard the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) on Oct. 28. The highly diverse cadre of Pax River Integrated Test Force (ITF) technicians, maintainers, engineers, logisticians, support staff and test pilots embarked for the third and final developmental test phase (DT-III) of F-35B carrier suitability and integration. Also aboard USS America with the Salty Dogs of VX-23 are Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 1 from Edwards AFB, California and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211 from MCAS Yuma, Arizona. (U.S. Navy Photo by Darin Russell/Released)

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

PACIFIC OCEAN (Oct. 28, 2016) The second of two F-35B Lightning II short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft from Air Test & Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland arrives aboard the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) on Oct. 28. Major John "IKE" Dirk piloted Lightning 65 as he joined the highly diverse cadre of Pax River Integrated Test Force (ITF) technicians, maintainers, engineers, logisticians, support staff and test pilots embarked for the third and final developmental test phase (DT-III) of F-35B carrier suitability and integration. Dirk, a U.S. Marine Corps test pilot, is the officer-in-charge of the detachment. ? Also aboard USS America with the Salty Dogs of VX-23 are Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 1 from Edwards AFB, California and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211 from MCAS Yuma, Arizona. (U.S. Navy Photo by Darin Russell/Released)

Landing seems much more quicker than last time.

 

[Hindustani78]

PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 4, 2016) A Sailor directs F-35B Lightning II aircraft on the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) during flight operations. The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world's first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. America, with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1), Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing and the third phase of developmental testing for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft, respectively. The tests will evaluate the full spectrum of joint strike fighter measures of suitability and effectiveness in an at-sea environment. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyle Goldberg/Released)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 4, 2016) Sailors move test ordnance for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft on the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) during flight operations. The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world's first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. America, with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1), Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing and the third phase of developmental testing for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft, respectively. The tests will evaluate the full spectrum of joint strike fighter measures of suitability and effectiveness in an at-sea environment. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyle Goldberg/Released)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 4, 2016) Sailors direct F-35B Lightning II aircraft on the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) during flight operations. The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world's first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. America, with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1), Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing and the third phase of developmental testing for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft, respectively. The tests will evaluate the full spectrum of joint strike fighter measures of suitability and effectiveness in an at-sea environment. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyle Goldberg/Released)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 4, 2016) An F-35B Lightning II aircraft takes off from the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) during flight operations. The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world's first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. America, with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1), Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing and the third phase of developmental testing for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft, respectively. The tests will evaluate the full spectrum of joint strike fighter measures of suitability and effectiveness in an at-sea environment. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyle Goldberg/Released)

 

[Hindustani78]

PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 5, 2016) Royal Air Force test pilot and Squadron Leader Andy Edgell enters the cockpit of an F-35B Lightning II aircraft equipped with inert 500-pound GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided test bombs on the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) during flight operations. The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world's first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. America, with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1), Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing and the third phase of developmental testing for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft, respectively. The tests will evaluate the full spectrum of joint strike fighter measures of suitability and effectiveness in an at-sea environment. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyle Goldberg/Released)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 5, 2016) Royal Air Force test pilot and Squadron Leader Andy Edgell enters the cockpit of an F-35B Lightning II aircraft equipped with inert 500-pound GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided test bombs on the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) during flight operations. The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world's first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. America, with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1), Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing and the third phase of developmental testing for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft, respectively. The tests will evaluate the full spectrum of joint strike fighter measures of suitability and effectiveness in an at-sea environment. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyle Goldberg/Released)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 5, 2016) An F-35B Lightning II aircraft equipped with inert 500-pound GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided test bombs prepares for takeoff from the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) during flight operations. The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world's first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. America, with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1), Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing and the third phase of developmental testing for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft, respectively. The tests will evaluate the full spectrum of joint strike fighter measures of suitability and effectiveness in an at-sea environment. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyle Goldberg/Released)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 5, 2016) An F-35B Lightning II aircraft launches from the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) equipped with inert 500-pound GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided test bombs during flight operations. The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world's first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. America, with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1), Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing and the third phase of developmental testing for the F-35B Lightning II aircraft, respectively. The tests will evaluate the full spectrum of joint strike fighter measures of suitability and effectiveness in an at-sea environment. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyle Goldberg/Released)