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PICTURES: F-35B flies with gun pod installed
Flight International ^ | 2/24/12 | Craig Hoyle

Posted on 02/24/2012 6:07:03 AM PST by Yo-Yo

Lockheed Martin's short take-off and vertical landing F-35B has made its first flight with a key weapon system for the US Marine Corps installed.

Flown from the US Navy's Patuxent River test site in Maryland on 22 February, test aircraft BF-2 carried a 25mm gun pod on a centreline weapons station, in addition to two Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles beneath its outboard wing stations.


"Significant weapons testing for the F-35B and F-35C variants is scheduled for 2012, including fit checks, captive carriage, pit drop and aerial drop tests," said Lockheed.

Meanwhile, Royal Air Force experimental test pilot Sqn Ldr Jim Schofield has become the first UK pilot to fly the carrier variant F-35C, having performed a sortie in test aircraft CF-2 from Patuxent River.

As of 23 February, some 1,704 flights totalling more than 2,500h had been performed by the F-35 development and test fleet, said Lockheed. This total includes 114 flights conducted so far during 2012, it added.

BF-2's first flight with external stores came less than a week after a conventional take-off and landing F-35A AF-1 had also flown with two AIM-9X missiles as part of a payload including weapons carried in the aircraft's two internal bays.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government
KEYWORDS: aerospace; f35b; jsf; navair
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More progress with the F-35B.
1 posted on 02/24/2012 6:07:05 AM PST by Yo-Yo
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To: Yo-Yo

We need to make enough of them where the price comes down and make it our dominant fighter.

We will need them. Don’t think it will be long.


2 posted on 02/24/2012 6:09:32 AM PST by Texas Fossil (Government, even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one)
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To: Texas Fossil

We also need a great number of F-22’s.


3 posted on 02/24/2012 6:12:39 AM PST by unkus (Silence Is Consent)
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To: Yo-Yo

External loads degrade their stealth.


4 posted on 02/24/2012 6:23:42 AM PST by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink)
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To: Yo-Yo; Admin Moderator

Why was “aerospace” removed from “Popular Keywords” and how can we get it put back on there?


5 posted on 02/24/2012 6:24:09 AM PST by hattend (Jesus wants me to make churches pay for abortions. - Barack Obama)
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To: unkus
We also need a great number of F-22’s.

Unless Lockheed kept all the jigs, tooling and outside supplier network, that ship has sailed.

6 posted on 02/24/2012 6:27:07 AM PST by hattend (Jesus wants me to make churches pay for abortions. - Barack Obama)
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To: Yo-Yo

Why does this “fighter” need a gun pod? Didn’t we learn anything from the F-4 Phantom fiasco? Put the gun INSIDE!


7 posted on 02/24/2012 6:27:38 AM PST by 43north (BHO: 50% black, 50% white, 100% RED)
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To: R. Scott

Once you have Air Supremacy, you don’t need stealth. At least not as much as the first week or two of the conflict.


8 posted on 02/24/2012 6:28:33 AM PST by hattend (Jesus wants me to make churches pay for abortions. - Barack Obama)
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To: Yo-Yo

Huh??? A billion dollar fighter with a gun pod?? Why, absolutely nothing, not even an A-4 Skyhawk could get close. So why the gun?

Maybe for CAS??? Yeah a billion dollar machine brought down by a five cent round from an SKS.

This concept is nothing but a ditch waiting for an American bound man and an assasin.

This cannot be the entirety of our air-air effort. It will be overwhelmed by good enough at some point.


9 posted on 02/24/2012 6:31:27 AM PST by whistleduck
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To: 43north

At least it’s designed to use the pod at the outset, unlike the F-4.

With all the lift fan mechanism up front and swivel linkages in the back of in the B model, perhaps there was no room for an internal gun.


10 posted on 02/24/2012 6:31:43 AM PST by hattend (Jesus wants me to make churches pay for abortions. - Barack Obama)
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To: Yo-Yo

Can the pylons the external weapons are mounted on be removed for high stealth required sorties? If not I’d expect this adaptation gives what is touted to be a stealth fighter something like the radar signature of an F16 or F18. Could be wrong, the article doesn’t address the issue. Along with VTOL in some versions I’m not sure what advantage the bird has besides stealth over much older platforms with upgraded avionics and weapons control.


11 posted on 02/24/2012 6:32:02 AM PST by katana (Just my opinions)
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To: 43north

Nope.

We didn’t learn anything from the F-111 program, either.

As we see “partner” nations stagger and gasp at the cost of this beast, they’re going to drop out of the program, sourcing other fighters for their needs. This will mean that the US Taxpayer will have to shoulder a bigger proportion of the ballooning costs of this beast to bring it to completion.


12 posted on 02/24/2012 6:33:21 AM PST by NVDave
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To: hattend
Why was “aerospace” removed from “Popular Keywords” and how can we get it put back on there?

Popular keywords are based on recent usage. On a day when Sukhoi-30mki posts a lot of articles, the keyword 'aerospace' gets used often enough to appear on the list.

What I have done is to add the keywords 'aerospace' and 'navair' (and 'banglist') to my custom sidebars, so that the latest keyword tagged articles appear on my sidebar automatically.

Click on the "configure sidebar" at the end of your own sidebar to get rid of unwanted boxes such as breaking news, and add custom boxes for your favorite keywords.

13 posted on 02/24/2012 6:36:21 AM PST by Yo-Yo (Is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: hattend
Unless Lockheed kept all the jigs, tooling and outside supplier network, that ship has sailed.

They did. They also recorded every process, and had the workers describe little tricks and tips on fabrication for future use. But the assembly line has been dismantled and mothballed, and will cost a billion or so to re-establish.

14 posted on 02/24/2012 6:38:57 AM PST by Yo-Yo (Is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: hattend
Hey, don't answer a hysterical question with a logical answer!

Whhistleduck is on a holy mission to discredit our armed forces. Your answer is seriously attacking his self-esteem!

15 posted on 02/24/2012 6:39:30 AM PST by Redleg Duke ("Madison, Wisconsin is 30 square miles surrounded by reality.", L. S. Dryfus)
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To: 43north; whistleduck; NVDave; hattend
Before everyone gets their panties in a bunch, the F-35A does have an internal gun.

The F-35B went with the external pod to make room for the lift fan, and the F-35C dropped the internal gun for more fuel.

The gun pod, when fitted, is full stealth. The other external stores racks are not.

16 posted on 02/24/2012 6:42:26 AM PST by Yo-Yo (Is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: Texas Fossil

Ain’t going to happen.

The price is going too high, especially considering the state of many partner nations’ economies.


17 posted on 02/24/2012 6:42:56 AM PST by NVDave
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To: Yo-Yo

Good deal. Lets get Obama out, try to get the budget under control (close whole Cabinet levels) and restart the F-22.

It’s the Bone all over again.


18 posted on 02/24/2012 6:43:23 AM PST by hattend (Jesus wants me to make churches pay for abortions. - Barack Obama)
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To: katana
Can the pylons the external weapons are mounted on be removed for high stealth required sorties?

Of course they are removable.

19 posted on 02/24/2012 6:44:52 AM PST by Yo-Yo (Is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: Yo-Yo

The F-35A carries 181 rounds for its gun which is capable of firing at 3000 rounds/minute. The F-35B/C with its pod can carry 225 rounds. Whoopee!!!! The A-10 carries over 1100 rounds.


20 posted on 02/24/2012 6:48:46 AM PST by saminfl
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