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Naval
Forces News - USA |
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"CATBird"
737 Based F-35 Test Bed Performs in JPALS All-Weather Landing System
Testing |
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Teamwork
between government and industry teams advanced the U.S. Navy’s
capability to recover aircraft in all weather conditions — a vital
solution aimed at protecting people and equipment while enhancing the
flexibility, power projection, and strike capabilities of carrier air
wings. The F-35 Cooperative Avionics Test Bed (CATBird), a modified
Boeing 737-330, accomplished initial connectivity and datalink testing
between the F-35 Lightning II and a Joint Precision Approach and Landing
System (JPALS) test facility at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland
in 2014. |
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The
F-35 Cooperative Avionics Test Bed (CATBird) supports software development
for upcoming F-35B/C developmental and operational tests, including
the elements of the Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS).
When fully implemented, JPALS will benefit carrier-based air traffic
control by enabling automatic carrier landings (auto-land), enhancing
aircraft position reporting, and increasing Tactical Air Navigation
(TACAN) functionality. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin)
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Over
the past three months, the Landing Systems Test Facility also hosted
CATBird to prepare for the second developmental test (DT-II) ship trials
of the F-35C Lightning II scheduled for later this year.
“Initial testing with the JPALS ship system was very successful
and met F-35 Lightning II primary test objectives,” said Lt. Cmdr.
Chris Taylor, co-lead for the JPALS Integrated Product Team at the Naval
Air Traffic Management Systems (PMA-213) program office. “Follow-on
testing in April and May was also successful in capturing essential
data that will deliver F-35 UDB risk reduction to developmental testing
with the JPALS ship system.”
A key feature of the former commercial airliner is its ability to transport
a team of test engineers in its flying laboratory specially equipped
to integrate, test, and validate mission systems avionics for the F-35
Lightning II. The use of CATBird enables the team to test mission systems
in a dynamic environment and apply real-time modifications the same
day or even hours after a test flight. |