First 1,000 Hour Flight F-35

08/23/2014
2014-08-23 “Workhorse” Becomes First F-35 to Achieve 1,000 Flight Hours by Kenji Thuloweit 412th Test Wing Public Affairs 6/18/14 Edwards Air Force Base AF-2, the second production F-35 Lightning II for the U.S. Air Force, became the first F-35 to reach 1,000 flight hours. Paul Hattendorf, Lockheed Martin test pilot,…

F-35B STOVL Mode Formation Flight Testing

07/01/2014
2014-07-01 Two F-35B aircraft flew in close formation for the first time in short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) mode, also known as Mode 4, on Feb. 11, 2014, at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. Recently, we talked to instructors at MAWTS about their work with the F-35 at Yuma Air…

F-35 Training at 33rd Fighter Wing

04/17/2014
2014-04-17 The F-35 training process started at Eglin but now the Marines are moving from Eglin to Marine Air Station Beaufort with the USN taking over the USMC facilities at Eglin. At Second Line of Defense we have regularly followed the standing up of the training processes for the F-35…

F-35C Testing Progresses: High Angle of Attack Tests

02/13/2014
2014-02-13 An F-35C aircraft flies a high angle of attack intentional departure test flight in November 2013. The video includes comments from the pilots and engineers testing the F-35C carrier variant's high angle of attack capabilities at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. Earlier we wrote about our visit to…

F-35B Twilight Operations

10/19/2013
2013-10-19  The Integrated Test Force operates F-35B test aircraft aboard the USS Wasp at twilight in August 2013. The tests were a part of Developmental Test Phase Two for the F-35B STOVL variant. According to Lt. Col. Gillette, currently the X0 of the Squadron and in transition with the jet…

Edge of the Envelope Testing of the F-35A

05/21/2013
2013-05-21 The US Air Force (USAF) has successfully completed high angle of attack (AoA) testing of the F-35A Lightning II conventional take off and landing (CTOL) fighter aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California, US.  Carried out by the F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF) team, the edge-of-the-envelope testing accomplished…

The First F-35B Night Flight

04/05/2013
April 3, 2013 PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - An F-35B Lightning II completed the first short takeoff and vertical landing during a test mission at night to expand the flight envelope and deliver capability to the warfighter. Marine Corps test pilot Maj. C.R. Clift conducted the flight April 2 to gather…