Lockheed Martin's short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) version of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the X-35B, could fly this week at the company's Palmdale plant in California if Pentagon officials give the go-ahead. "We completed the final taxi test and we are ready to go," says Tom Burbage, Lockheed Martin's JSF programme general manager. "On the first flight we will enter the hover - we call it a hop. "One the second flight we will sustain a hover 30ft (9m) off the ground and manoeuvre around. Then we will do a conventional flight and progressively build down to a hover. We are very confident."
Completed
The Lockheed Martin JSF team completed installation of the JSF X-35B's flight-ready propulsion system - including the shaft-driven lift fan and engine - on 12 May and soon afterwards pilot Simon Hargreaves began operating the flight-ready system in the aircraft. During the two-month test Hargreaves, a veteran Harrier pilot from BAE Systems, will be the X-35B's principal contractor test pilot. The X-35B features a unique propulsion system in which a drive shaft from the engine turns a counter - rotating lift fan that produces tremendous cool-air lifting force during STOVL operations. The front mounted fan works in concert with a thrust - vectoring rear engine nozzle and under-wing lateral - control nozzles to produce nearly 40,000lb (178kN) of lifting power. Rolls-Royce produces the fan and nozzles. The Pratt & Whitney engine is based on the F-22 powerplant.
Approached
Lockheed Martin says its approach to the flight-test programme is based on fielding and flying a JSF design as close to the production model as possible. "By flight-testing an aircraft that closely represents the one you intend to produce, and by validating that aircraft's performance, you greatly reduce the risk of encountering unexpected and costly surprises later in the programme," says Harry Blot, a former Harrier test pilot, now vice-president and deputy programme manager for the Lockheed Martin JSF.
Excellent
"The X-35B continues to be in excellent shape. All final evaluations and flight preparation are meeting all our expectations," says Rick Rezabek, Lockheed Martin X-35B product manager. "The STOVL portion of the flight-test programme will prove to be an incredible finish to the JSF X-airplane test programme."
Source: Flight Daily News
