LIGHTNING II UPDATE
SIX LIGHTNING IIs, comprising two
each of F-35As, F-35Bs and F-35Cs,
arrived at Eielson AFB, Alaska, on
January 18, where they began
cold-weather testing as part of the
early initial operational test and
evaluation (IOT&E) phase. Plans
had called for IOT&E to begin in
late 2017 but it will likely now start
in late 2018. Conducted under
the supervision of the Air Force
Operational Test and Evaluation
Center at Kirtland AFB, New
Mexico, the ‘pre-IOT&E’ activities
have commenced in order to
‘mitigate delays in program
development’. The full IOT&E test
program requires the availability
of a specific number of Lightning
IIs equipped with the Block 3F
software and associated equipmentfit. A second set of pre-IOT&E tests
will likely follow the cold-weather
testing during the second quarter
of 2018. That effort will evaluate
the fighters in tactical missions
such as close air support, strike
co-ordination and reconnaissance,
aerial reconnaissance and airborne
forward air control, and will include
weapons delivery effectiveness
evaluations.
The F-35 integrated test force
recently began conducting sloped
surface vertical landing trials
with the F-35B at Marine Corps
Auxiliary Landing Field (MCALF)
Bogue Field, North Carolina.
Conducted as part of the F-35B
STOVL envelope expansion, the
testing involves a series of vertical
landing maneuvers in simulated
expeditionary conditions. It willultimately allow engineers to relax
the maximum slope/gradient
certification limits for existing and
future expeditionary landing pads.
The F-35B’s STOVL capability will
permit the Marine Corps to operate
the aircraft in harsh conditions and
from remote locations including
abandoned or primitive runways
and long stretches of roadways. The
aircraft can also operate from sites
where Marines construct their own
expeditionary runway or landing
pads with AM-2 matting.
Meanwhile, the US Navy plans
to use tracking data collected
by an F-35 to shoot down an air-
breathing target drone with an
SM-6 standard missile fired from an
Aegis Combat System-equipped
warship. The test, which will be
conducted this summer, will see
the F-35 transmitting data to theguided missile destroyer via its
multi-function advanced data link
(MADL). The installation of a MADL
allows the destroyer to receive
targeting data from the F-35.
The demonstration is intended
to show how the fighter’s AN/
AAQ-37 distributed aperture system
(DAS), AN/APG-81 radar and data
fusion capabilities can support the
navy’s air and missile defense. The
service had previously conducted
a test between a Marine Corps
F-35B and the Naval Air Warfare
Center (NAWC) weapons division’s
land-based USS Desert Ship (LLS 1)
facility at the US Army White Sands
Missile Range in New Mexico.
During that test, data transferred
from the Lightning II to the test
facility was used to guide an
SM-6 that destroyed an MQM-
target drone.An A-10C of the 442nd Fighter Wing prepares to
launch from Kandahar on January 20. The unit
deployed to Afghanistan as part of the air power
realignment to provide increased operations in
Afghanistan. USAF/SSgt Sean MartinF-35B test aircraft BF-02 conducts vertical landing tests on
a sloped landing pad at Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field
Bogue, North Carolina, on January 17. Lockheed MartinA USAF F-35A deployed to Eielson AFB
for ‘pre-IOT&E’ cold weather trials in
January. USAF/A1C Isaac Johnson[NEWS] UNITED STATES
08 April 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
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