BELOW: An F-35C of VX-9 Det Edwards and an
F-35B of VMX-1 seen in June 2018 as the two
units geared up for IOT&E. James Deboer34
F-35 LIGHTNING II Latest news
nitial Operational Test and Evaluation
(IOT&E) is the next big milestone for
the F-35 programme. Operational
suitability work has been ongoing hand-in-
hand with development test, and has served
to identify key issues to be fixed ahead of
the formal rubber stamp of IOT&E. This
will also sign off the F-35’s readiness to
proceed to full-rate production, however,
IOT&E has repeatedly slipped due to the
late completion of development test to
enable the Edwards AFB team to fullyevaluate the mandated Block 3F standard
aircraft. The 23-aircraft operational test fleet
at Edwards spans all three variants in US,
UK, Australian and Dutch teams. The 2017
annual report by the Director of Operational
Test and Evaluation’s office said the
“fleet will not complete modifications to
the Block 3F production-representative
configuration until August 2018.”
The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) is
meanwhile transitioning into the next phase
of development work under ContinuousCapability Development and Delivery (C2D2)
to address any Block 3F deficiencies and
incrementally provide Block 4 enhancements.
The report says the operational suitability
of the F-35 fleet remains below requirementsLOOKING AHEAD
With the System Development and Demonstration phase complete, the Joint
Operational Tes t Team is gearing up for Initial Operational Tes t and Evaluation,
the F-35’s most stringent challenge to date.I