Boeing military staff at Le Bourget were celebrating last night after news that the Boeing Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) concept demonstrator has successfully completed the final steps leading to an historic milestone for the programme ¡ hover.
In four separate flights at Pax River, Maryland yesterday, the X-32B demonstrated stability at all altitudes and at all airspeeds down to 90kt (103km/h). On each flight, the X-32B performed transitions from conventional, wing-borne flight to jet-borne, direct lift flight. The aircraft demonstrated Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) flying qualities down to 90kt on the direct-lift system. The final flight of the day culminated with a îslow¹ landing using direct lift.
The aircraft is expected to progressively reduce forward speed over the next several flights, demonstrating hover flying qualities and vertical landing performance. Successful demonstrations of short takeoff, hover and vertical landing will complete the customer requirements for the Boeing JSF flight test programme.
Source: Flight Daily News
