F-35B...

John Baker

John Baker

Final Approach
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This video is fresh (for the public). It was made just six weeks ago in the Atlantic, just off Newport News (Hampton Roads), Virginia .



These are the latest sea trials of the F-35B on the USS Wasp. They were very successful, with 74 VL's and STO's in a three week period. The media and the program critics had predicted that we would burn holes in the deck and wash sailors overboard. Neither of which happened. You will notice a sailor standing on the bow of the ship as the jet rotates. That was an intentional part of the sea trials.



The USS Wasp is an amphibious assault ship designed to embark a Marine Expeditionary Unit. It is capable of simultaneously supporting rotary and fixed wing STOVL aircraft and amphibious landing craft operations. For this test deployment the USS Wasp was outfitted with special instrumentation to support and measure the unique operating environment as the F-35B conducted short takeoffs and vertical landings.



No catapult...... No hook ............



The shape and scope of warfare – worldwide – just changed.



F-35B Video

 
John Baker said:
The media and the program critics had predicted that we would burn holes in the deck and wash sailors overboard. Neither of which happened.
Click to expand...
Interesting that they freshly non-skidded the aft landing spots....wonder if they had to do that because of the heat from the jet blast.....

I do know this, the STOVL version of the F-35 is what has held the bloody program up so long and all because the Marines need a AV-8 replacement (which is true). I also know that there are some pretty significant ship mods that are required before the aircraft can be operated on the LHDs and I am sure that WASP already had them done for the testing.
 
cool, love watching that nozzle rotate.
Does the lift fan inlet door act as a flying surface?
 
Funny watching the elevators go into a nose-down position right after leaving the deck.
 
Directed thrust provides the majority of the attitude control during vertical operations, so the elevators are deflected to nose down to increase overall lift of all the flying surfaces (more downwash) at low speeds. I'm holding stator vanes for the forward liftfan in my hand right now, we build the non-moving composite components for the liftfan at my current company. And yes, the Marines and the UK guys need this plane, the improvements over the Harrier are tremendous.
 
david.h said:
Directed thrust provides the majority of the attitude control during vertical operations, so the elevators are deflected to nose down to increase overall lift of all the flying surfaces (more downwash) at low speeds. . . .
Click to expand...

I figured that that was the case.

Anyone else notice the apparent complete lack of a HUD? I'm guessing it's all displayed on the helmet visor considering that the helmet doesn't look like any I've seen before.
 
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david.h said:
And yes, the Marines and the UK guys need this plane, the improvements over the Harrier are tremendous.
Click to expand...

Considering it takes 6 AV-8Bs to make one, maybe two flyable, that is a true statement
 
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