Breaking news
F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft completes first in-flight weapons release 2010122.
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World
Aviation Industry News - Lockheed Martin |
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F-35A
Lightning II fighter aircraft completes first in-flight weapons release |
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EDWARDS
AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Oct 17, 2012 – An F-35A
conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft completed the first in-flight
weapons release of a 2,000 pound GBU-31 BLU-109 Joint Direct Attack Munition
(JDAM) from a 5th Generation fighter, Oct. 16. The flight was conducted
by U.S. Air Force Maj. Eric "Doc" Schultz. |
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The flight
was conducted by U.S. Air Force Maj. Eric "Doc" Schultz. The
aircraft, known as AF-1, jettisoned an instrumented GBU-31 over the China
Lake test range from the left internal weapons bay. The F-35A 5th Generation fighter is designed to carry a payload of up to 18,000 pounds using 10 weapon stations. The F-35A features four internal weapon stations located in two weapon bays to maximize stealth capability. The CTOL aircraft can also utilize an additional three external weapon stations per wing if required. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 120,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation's net sales for 2011 were $46.5 billion |
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