On Feb.
21, Royal Air Force (RAF) Squadron Leader Jim Schofield became the United
Kingdom’s first military test pilot to fly the F-35C, the carrier
variant of the Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft.
“The F-35 has the best handling of any jet I’ve flown, which
means it’s going to be easier to land on a ship than current aircraft,
and pilots can devote all of their attention to the mission,”
Schofield said. “Combined with the world’s best sensors
which allow the pilot to find and target anything that’s out there,
and a stealthy signature, which means the enemy can’t do the same
to you, this is exactly the aircraft the UK needs to provide the best
protection for our soldiers, sailors and airmen for the next 35 years.”
Schofield’s flight is the latest in a series of milestones for
the UK’s Joint Combat Aircraft program, which included the first
F-35C launch on the test electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS)
on Nov. 18, 2011, and the rollout of the first UK F-35 from the production
line four days later. EMALS is the current launching system of record
for the future HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, currently under
construction. |
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“This is another major step forward for the
UK’s Joint Combat Aircraft programme,” said Group Captain
Harv Smyth, the UK’s JSF national deputy. “Squadron Leader
Schofield is now test-flying both the [short takeoff and vertical landing]
and carrier variants of the F-35, which affords the UK unprecedented
early learning regarding this 5th-generation air system. This is a very
exciting period for JCA, as not only are we now testing both the B and
the C variants, but we look forward to taking delivery of our first
production F-35 aircraft later this year.”
As an international program, the F-35 has eight cooperative partners
working with the United States; the United Kingdom was the first country
to join the program in January 2001.
According to the RAF’s website, the F-35 employed as the Joint
Combat Aircraft in UK forces will offer many advantages over legacy
platforms: low observability, supersonic flight, improved survivability,
internal and external weapons carriage, increased range and easier supply
and maintenance.
The F-35C carrier variant of JSF is distinct from the F-35A and F-35B
variants, with its larger wing surfaces and reinforced landing gear
to withstand catapult launches and deck landing impacts associated with
the demanding aircraft carrier environment. The F-35C is undergoing
test and evaluation at Naval Air Station Patuxent River prior to delivery
to the fleet and international partners.
From: Naval Air Systems Command
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