2nd F-35 set to fly this month

[tigershark]

2nd F-35 set to fly this month
By BOB COX
Star-Telegram staff writer
Sometime in the next few weeks, a test pilot will push the throttle forward, and the second F-35 Lightning II test aircraft will make its maiden flight, a major milestone for the $298 billion fighter-jet development program.

"We're working toward a late May [flight] date," said Dan Crowley, Lockheed Martin executive vice president over F-35 development and production.

"There's nothing we've identified that would be a barrier to that. At the same time, I've given the team a mid-June target to give them time to recover from any last-minute issues that arise."

Key point

The second aircraft is a significant step forward for the joint strike fighter program. It is the first airplane built after a major redesign launched in mid-2003 to reduce weight. It's also the first F-35B model, a short-takeoff-vertical-landing (STOVL) version like those to be built for the Marines and the armed forces of some foreign countries, notably Britain's Royal Navy.

A British pilot, Graham Tomlinson, who works for BAE Systems, will fly the B-model. The aircraft has undergone engine and flight-control testing on the ground in recent weeks. All test flights will involve conventional takeoffs and landings. STOVL testing won't occur until an improved engine is installed, probably early in 2009.

Flight-test progress

The first test airplane, which first flew in December 2006, has completed 40 test flights, totaling more than 48 hours. The plane has been undergoing mandatory inspections, maintenance and software upgrades since the last flight April 2. It is expected to resume flying in the middle of this month.

Crowley said there have been no significant technical issues or problems found in the 21 flights since testing resumed in December after a seven-month grounding due to a serious problem with flight controls.

Progress picks up

By the end of 2009, Lockheed plans to have built and be testing all 19 aircraft, 13 (including the first) for flight tests and six for ground testing.

Four planes are in various stages of major assembly, and work is under way at Lockheed and other firms on components and assemblies for the rest. Crowley said major structural components for all the remaining aircraft should be delivered within the next 60 to 90 days.

Source
http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/621512.html