Combat aircraft

F-35 COMPLETES DEVELOPMENT TESTING

T

HE F35 JOINT Strike

Fighter’s $55-billion

system development and

demonstration (SDD)

 ight test program was

formally completed on

April 11 when F-35C test aircraft

CF-02 completed a mission to collect

loads data while carrying external

2,000lb (907kg) GBU-31 Joint Direct

Attack Munitions (JDAM) and

AIM-9X air-to-air missiles.

The program began in December

2006 when F-35A test aircraft AA-

completed its maiden  ight. Since

then the joint government and

industry team, which included 19

test aircraft, has conducted more

than 9,200 sorties, accumulated in

excess of 17,000  ight hours, and

executed over 65,000 test points

that veri ed the design, durability,

software, sensors, weapons

capability and performance of all

three variants of the Lightning II.

The SDD program will formally

conclude when the aircraft’s initial

operational test and evaluation

(IOT&E) is completed and full-rate

production is approved in late

2019. Pre-IOT&E events are already
      under way and the full evaluation
      is scheduled to begin this coming
      September.
      As part of the SDD program the
      test team conducted six at-sea
      detachments and performed more
      than 1,500 vertical landing tests
      with the F-35B. The developmental
       ight test team completed
      183 weapon separation tests,
      46 weapons delivery accuracy
      (WDA) tests and 33 mission
      e ectiveness tests, which included
      numerous multi-ship missions that
      pitted up to eight F-35s against
      advanced threats.
      Although SDD  ight-testing has
      been completed, the program
      will continue the development of
      phased capability improvements
      and modernization of the F-
      under the Joint Program O ce’s
      continuous capability development
      and delivery (C2D2) e ort, which
      will provide Block 4 enhancements.
      This will provide the Lightning
      II with incremental capability

improvements, allowing the  ghter

to maintain air dominance against

evolving threats.

The F-35A and F-35B are already

operational with the USAF and

US Marine Corps. The US Navy

expects the F-35C carrier variant

of the Lightning II to achieve initial

operational capability with Block

3F software once the program

has completed its  nal test

period in 2019.

An RAF Tornado GR4 launches from RAF

Akrotiri armed with a pair of MBDA Storm

Shadow cruise missiles. Crown Copyright

ALSO

THIS

MONTH...

‘AdAir’ update

Draken International  nalizes

Mirage F1 plans. See US News

Australian F-35 update

Block 3F handover for RAAF.

See World News

SYRIAN CHEMICAL WEAPONS

SITES ATTACKED

F-35C CF-02 operates near NAS Patuxent River,

Maryland, during the Joint Strike Fighter program’s

fi nal system development and demonstration fl ight

on April 11, 2018. Lockheed Martin

[NEWS] HEADLINES

06 June 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net

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