Aviation History - March 2016 USA

March 2016 AH 35

ILLUSTRATIONS: SAN DIEGO AIR & SPACE MUSEUM; ABOVE: ©2013 LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP.

the U.S. Marine Corps adopted the improved and

enlarged AV-8B Harrier II, with 50 percent more

fuel for greater range and loiter time. It has served

with considerable success in numerous war zones,

from Operation Desert Shield in 1990 to current

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Despite the failure of the U.S. aerospace indus-

try to develop a suitable VTOL strike fighter

during the 1970s, American engineers have per-

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with the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II, the

STOVL version of the Joint Strike Fighter. The

Marines declared initial operational capability for

the F-35B in July 2015, when 10 aircraft in Marine

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clearances. The RAF and RN plan to operate 138

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replace the Italian navy’s ship-based Sea Harriers.

While it represents state-of-the-art aeronauti-

cal technology, the F-35B still shares some of the

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of the 1970s. Although the F-35B does not have

additional lift jets, as did the Convair 200, it does

include a large engine-driven lift fan that takes up

just about the same proportion of internal space.

Its operational weight is 10,000 pounds less than

that of the corresponding conventional version of

the Lightning II, which means it will carry that

much less military load.

Furthermore, while the F-35B is capable of a

maximum speed of Mach 1.6—much faster than

the Harrier—it is also much heavier. Although

only about six feet longer, the F-35B weighs in at a

hefty 32,300 pounds empty, 132 percent heavier

than the Sea Harrier, and a whopping 30 tons

loaded. Weight considerations aside, the Royal

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of its carriers to withstand the F-35B’s jet blast,

which has proved to be hotter and stronger than

expected during vertical landings.

Despite its many detractors, the F-35B is sched-

uled to soon enter service with several air arms

around the world. Time will tell whether it will

compare favorably to the Harrier, the only other

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For further reading, Robert Guttman recommends:

Convair Advanced Designs II (reviewed on P. 57),

by Robert E. Bradley; and The World’s Worst

Aircraft, by Jim Winchester.

THE VTOL SEA

HARRIER PUT UP

AN EFFECTIVE

AIR DEFENSE

AGAINST

ARGENTINE

SKYHAWKS AND

MIRAGES.

THE FUTURE IS NOW

Major Richard Rusnok

makes the first vertical

landing of a production

F-35B on March 31, 2013.