USMC F-35B flight trials continue aboard HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier.

This October month, an F-35B Lightning II short takeoff vertical landing (STOVL) fighter jet piloted by a test pilot is involved in shipborne rolling vertical landings and takeoffs aboard the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales.

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A US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II short takeoff vertical landing (STOVL) fighter jet piloted by Marine Maj. Paul Gucwa performs a shipborne rolling vertical landing aboard U.K. aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales Oct. 24, 2023 (Picture source: Kyra Helwick)

Lockheed Martin’s 5th generation strike aircraft for Navy, Air Force, Marines, and allies is aboard HMS Prince of Wales to conduct developmental test phase 3 (DT-3) flight trials during the ship's deployment to the U.S. Eastern Seaboard for WESTLANT 2023. A Pax River F-35 Integrated Test Force (Pax ITF) team is working closely with the ship's company to conduct the sea trials that continue pushing the boundaries of carrier aviation.

On October 19, U.S. Marine Maj. Paul Gucwa piloted the F-35B for the first shipborne rolling vertical landing (SRVL) aboard HMS Prince of Wales, Britain’s biggest warship. “It was a wonderful experience to see our training and preparation lead to a predictable and comfortable outcome”, Gucwa said. “Expanding on the initial work the team executed during DT-1 and DT-2 is the next step in providing these types of increased capabilities to the warfighter, which is what flight test is all about”, he said.

F-35B pilots usually approach the carrier from the port side to a position adjacent to a landing spot. They then transition, or fly sideways, to the landing spot and land vertically. More than looking and sounding different, the landing technique could lead to tactics where a pilot returns to the ship with heavier loads, for example more fuel or weapons.