Lockheed Martin's F-35 has been flown for the first time with an external weapons load, with a conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) aircraft having completed a sortie with two Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles beneath its outboard wing stations.
Flown from Edwards AFB in California on 16 February, the F-35A also carried a load of two Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles and two GBU-31 908kg (2,000lb) precision guided-bombs within its two internal weapons bays.
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| © Paul Weatherman/Lockheed Martin |
"No weapons were delivered during the mission," said Lockheed, which added that the sortie was focused on "further expanding the programme's flight test envelope".
The test aircraft is also pictured with four additional external weapons stations mounted under its wing, with each of these capable of carrying one 908kg bomb.
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| © Paul Weatherman/Lockheed Martin |
According to Lockheed, the F-35A is capable of carrying a maximum load of 8,170kg across its 10 weapons stations. When required to operate as a stealth asset, operators will fly the type with internal stores only.
The CTOL variant of the F-35 is currently expected to enter operational use with the US Air Force, plus Joint Strike Fighter partner nations Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and Turkey, along with early export customers Israel and Japan.
Source: Flight International
