Forum: F-35 Lightning II

The A-7 and the F-4 both operated on land and at sea, and had the same airframe G-limits. I was under the impression that the reduced F-35B/C limits were due to EOW differences, the number of moveable doors and nozzle on the -B, and the increased wing area on the -C. Maybe I'm wrong. I'd just like to see some documentation to support Spudman and Wrightwing's statements.

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Well as a rule, the G-limits you see are practical limits for extended use. You can yank back the stick and get significantly more than 9G on many aircraft, including the F-4 (I know of one which pulled 12 and landed). A pilot could probably give a more cogent explanation.

Prinz_Eugn wrote:

Well as a rule, the G-limits you see are practical limits for extended use. You can yank back the stick and get significantly more than 9G on many aircraft, including the F-4 (I know of one which pulled 12 and landed). A pilot could probably give a more cogent explanation.

The F-35 airframe is subjected to 13.5Gs during structural testing so its a tough bird.

wrightwing wrote:

Meteor wrote:

Spudman, I had never heard that before. Do you have a source for that? (I know the FCS can be programmed to limit AOA and G. I want to see the document that says the USN and USMC limited their aircraft G capability to "increase lifetime of the airframe and reduce maint costs".) Also, why didn't the USAF do the same thing?

Underhill, good AFJ article by LCDR Solomon.

Because the USAF isn't operating their aircraft on ships, in a harsh maritime environment. That takes a toll on an airframe over its lifetime, so lower the Gs helps mitigate that.

Plus there's this little issue of a couple thousand controlled crashes onto a steel deck over the lifetime of most Navy/Marine aircraft. With the F-35B though its more center of gravity issues from the weight and location of the lift fan. Though when it hits the fan, the manual goes right out the window.

Forum: F-35 Lightning II

F-35B CONOPS