First F-35C catapult launch

Navy test pilot Lt. Christopher Tabert takes to the sky July 27 in an F-35C test aircraft launched by a steam catapult for the first time. CF-3 is the designated carrier suitability testing aircraft, and is in Lakehurst for catapult and jet blast deflector testing. The F-35C is the carrier variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and is distinct from the F-35A and F-35B variants. It has larger wing surfaces and reinforced landing gear for slower catapult launch and landing approach speeds and deck impacts associated with the demanding carrier take-off and landing environment. The F-35C is undergoing test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River prior to eventual delivery to the fleet.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• U.S. Navy
• aviation
• F-35C
• catapult launch
• joint strike fighter

[aaron8862006]

@PeueguBucT - Uneducated dross.

[gotitans999]

ah, the good ole' military budget.

[crookhunter]

That thing rotated PDQ

[dreamwisperer]

......

[BinarySpike]

That's kinda cool... Took me 3 or 4 views to see exactly what was going on.

[VFA103JollyRogers]

During WWII all the navy had was Single engine props

[SchwartzeBaron]

@coldforgedcowboy "Anticipated" AOA (Angle of Attack) was 14 degrees. It hit 24 degrees with ease! Way better than expected.

[cobrala]

@blt40 Every Jet engines are designed to "accept" a certain amount and certain size bird without a "catastrophic" failure. They are bird rated like windscreens. The military probably has very strict requirements but jet engines CAN ingest birds and continue to run. Now if you ingest multiple large birds or a couple turkey sized Canada Geese then you will have a problem like Sully did and he had 2 engines.

[CDNaviator]

Ah yes, the old "but its a single engine" crowd......usualy composed of mostly 12-year old microsoft fighter pilots. For those who missed it during those years, the US Navy operated several single-engined fighter aircraft from its carriers over the years. Engine technology and reliability certainly has not stood still since then.

[blt40]

@cobrala how about when it sucks down a few birds with that one engine.

[cobrala]

@blt40 Thats a good point, the Navy and Marines were also concerned with this so they demanded that the engine be built to extreme tolerances and durability to avoid this. The engine was required to run for many hours without failure to prove its safety. The 777 went through the same problem because it only had 2 engines but Europe wanted a plane so big to have 4 so the Trent engine proved it could last many hours without fail