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Naval
Forces News - USA |
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MBDA
ASRAAM and Raytheon Paveway IV weapons Tested on F-35B at US Navy Test
Facility |
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A
UK test team including personnel from BAE Systems, has successfully
completed initial aircraft handling trials for ASRAAM and Paveway IV
weapons on the F-35B Lightning II aircraft at Patuxent River Naval Air
Station in Maryland, United States. |
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The trial or ‘dummy’ weapons rounds, which are identical
in fit and form to the operational weapons, were tested on the Short
Take-off Vertical Landing (STOVL) F-35B for the first time during a
series of flights from the US Navy’s test facility at Patuxent
River Naval Air Station. The initial tests are an important step in
integrating weapons onto the F-35B, allowing test pilots to understand
how they affect the way the aircraft performs and handles. Picture:
LMUK |
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The UK’s
Royal Air Force (RAF) already uses ASRAAM and Paveway IV on its existing
combat air fleet. The successful tests are a step towards full interoperability
between the current and future fast jets that will be used by the RAF
and the UK’s Royal Navy from 2018.
Two F-35B STOVL aircraft, flown by Billie Flynn, Lockheed Martin’s
F-35 test pilot and Squadron Leader Andy Edgell from the RAF, completed
9 flights with MBDA’s ASRAAM missiles and Raytheon’s Paveway
IV laser guided bombs. The flights involved different configurations
of both weapons types on the aircraft.
The successful tests will be followed by the next stage of weapons testing
due to take place in early 2015. These tests will involve weapon separation
and then guided releases of both ASRAAM and Paveway IV from the aircraft. |
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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 14, 2013) An F-35B Lightning II aircraft takes
off from the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) during the second
at-sea F-35 developmental test event. The F-35B is the Marine Corps
variant of the joint strike fighter and is undergoing testing aboard
Wasp. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Michael
T. Forbes II/Released)
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BAE Systems’
lead test pilot for F-35, Pete ‘Wizzer’ Wilson, said: “The
team at Patuxent River has got over two thousand hours of flying under
their belts for the F-35B variant and the handling and performance of
the aircraft has shone through throughout. These latest trials were
no exception and help us to move confidently into the next phase of
weapons testing.”
J.D. McFarlan, Lockheed Martin's Vice President for F-35 Test &
Verification from the Joint Strike Fighter programme added: “These
trials show the truly international nature of the F-35 enterprise -
being led out of a US Navy facility, involving a joint UK Ministry of
Defence and industry team, working alongside the US Department of Defence
and Lockheed Martin. And the test results for one partner will benefit
all, further demonstrating the versatility and capability of the F-35
as a multi-role platform.” |
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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 14, 2013) An F-35B Lightning II aircraft lands
aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) during the second
at-sea F-35 developmental test event. The F-35B is the Marine Corps
variant of the joint strike fighter and is undergoing testing aboard
Wasp. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Michael
T. Forbes II/Released)
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The
F-35 Lightning II, a 5th generation fighter, combines advanced low observable
stealth technology with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor
information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Three
distinct variants of the F-35 will replace the A-10 and F-16 for the
U.S. Air Force, the F/A-18 for the U.S. Navy, the F/A-18 and AV-8B Harrier
for the U.S. Marine Corps, and a variety of fighters for at least 10
other countries. Following the U.S. Marine Corps’ planned July
2015 IOC, the U.S. Air Force and Navy intend to attain IOC in Aug. 2016
and 2018, respectively.
ASRAAM is a Within Visual Range (WVR) Dominance weapon and is guided
using a passive imaging infra-red sensor. The missile can be cued by
aircraft sensors, such as the radar or helmet mounted display but can
also act as an autonomous infrared search and track system. Its large
rocket motor provides high speed to intercept and this, coupled with
its accurate imaging guidance system and highly effective warhead ensure
the highest kill probability against any target.
The Paveway™ family of laser guided bombs has revolutionized tactical
air-to-ground warfare by converting "dumb" bombs into precision
guided munitions. Paveway bombs have been put to the test in every recent
major conflict and proved themselves, time and again, as the weapon
of choice by the end-users. Paveway weapons made up more than half the
air-to-ground precision guided munitions used in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
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