F-35C Lightning II Carrier Variant Undergoes Drop Testing

 Photo courtesy : Vought Aircraft

Lockheed Martin’s F-35C Lightning II carrier variant ground-test article, CG-1, undergoes drop testing at Vought Aircraft in Dallas – one of 53 tests planned for CG-1 at Vought. On March 27,CG-1,was dropped 95 inches at 20 feet per second, with an 8.8-degree pitch, 2-degree roll, and 133-knot wheel speed, simulating a carrier-deck landing. During the testing, 500 sensors are monitored, with 2,500 points collected per second. The F-35C will be the Navy’s first stealth fighter. In addition to ground testing, flight test continues, with more than 170 test flights logged. During the first quarter of 2010, the three F-35B test aircraft at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., outperformed flight test requirements, completing 33 flights compared to the 29 required. Twenty-eight of the flights took place at Patuxent River, with the remaining five conducted from Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth plant.