Lockheed Martin's F-35C Lightning II Carrier Variant Undergoes Drop Testing

Lockheed Martin's F-35C Lightning II Carrier Variant Undergoes Drop Testing
April 9, 2010 12:42 PM

Dallas, Texas, -- Lockheed Martin's F-35C Lightning II carrier variant ground-test article, CG-1,undergoes drop testing at Vought Aircraft in Dallas - one of 53 tests planned for CG-1 at Vought. On March 27,CG-1,was dropped 95 inches at 20 feet per second, with an 8.8-degree pitch, 2-degree roll, and 133-knot wheel speed, simulating a carrier-deck landing. During the testing, 500 sensors are monitored, with 2,500 points collected per second.The F-35C will be the Navy's first stealth fighter.In addition to ground testing, flight test continues, with more than 170 test flights logged. During the first quarter of 2010, the three F-35B test aircraft at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., outperformed flight test requirements, completing 33 flights compared to the 29 required. Twenty-eight of the flights took place at Patuxent River, with the remaining five conducted from Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth plant.

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CVF (Future Aircraft Carrier) Program, F-35 Lightning II, Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)