Forum: General F-35 Forum

F-35 stealth fighter jet undergoes ejector seat trials 6 April 2011

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... rials.html

"The UK's next generation fighter jet, the F-35 Lightning II, has undergone tests on its ejector seat.

The plane, which is set to replace the iconic Harrier, reached speeds of up to 600mph during tests at Samlesbury, Lancashire.

The system has been declared safe and will now be fitted to over 3000 aircrafts ordered by Armed Forces around the globe.

More than 30 ejection seat tests were completed in the UK, France and the USA.

The Royal Air Force website describes the jet as, "a stealthy, multi-role, all-weather, day & night, fighter/attack air system aircraft that can operate from land bases and the next generation of aircraft carriers."

F-16.net Sponsor

Martin-Baker Aircraft Mk 16 ejection seat escape system

"Martin-Baker's latest mk.16 ejection seat - video of selected testing shots."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1dtYGTyX8k

Last edited by spazsinbad on Apr 08, 2011 - 06:23 AM; edited 1 time in total

Rocket sled tests prove F-35's ejector seat 06 April 2011

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepe ... 35s-e.html

"Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning single-seat fighter jet is having a difficult birth, with its development program dogged by budget overruns and power and software failures. Some parts of the program are in excellent health, however: in a series of spectacular rocket sled tests, military boffins at Martin Baker and BAE Systems have proven the worth of the nascent combat plane's pilot escape technologies.

BAE chief engineer Chris Garside says the sled included a full scale mockup of the F35's cockpit, which in addition to the rocket-assisted ejector seat also included an "emergency transparency removal and structural severance system" made by Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials, which uses a small, controlled explosive to fracture and remove the canopy clear of the soon-to-be-ejecting pilot.

The sled powered the F-35 'mockpit' along at a cool 966 kilometres per hour (600 mph) on a track at a Martin Baker test site at Chalgrove Airfield near Oxford, UK. It proved that just three seconds after pulling the armed 'eject' handle, a pilot would be safely strap-hanging from a parachute well clear of the doomed plane. In 30 such test runs in the UK, France and the US, the system is said to have passed all its tests...."

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepe ... 20seat.jpg

safe escape cleared for the F-35 Aircraft SAME VIDEO as first POST only WIDE ANGLE!
Video will be in your IE cache as "baes_f35_rail_video_flv[1].flv" at 2.3Mb

http://www.baesystems.com/AboutUs/Asafe ... /index.htm

"BAE Systems has led a fully integrated industry effort to deliver a production standard escape system for the F-35 Lightning II aircraft.
The system has been certified as safe for flight after a series of rigorous tests. The escape system, used in emergency situations, ensures pilots can eject safely and will be fitted to all 3000+ F-35 aircraft to be operated by Armed Forces across the globe.

The system has been tested to its limits as a full scale front section of the aircraft, complete with ejection seat and mannequin was launched at speeds in excess of 600 mph down a test track putting the escape system through its paces. More than 30 ejection seat tests were completed in the UK, France and the USA.

Ejecting from an aircraft like F-35 typically takes no more than three seconds from the time the ejection handle is pulled to the pilot being on a parachute. Everything happens very quickly and during the tests up to 900,000 measurements are recorded every second.

Once the full scale testing was complete the system was tested to further extremes of acceleration, temperature and pressure before it could be certified as safe to fly. Achieving this was a critical milestone for both the programme and team involved.

About the Escape System Industry team

BAE Systems is a prime sub contractor to Lockheed Martin on the F-35 programme and led the industry teams' development of the Escape System. Martin Baker Aircraft Company are responsible for producing the US16E ejection seat, a derivative of the highly successful Mk 16 family of seats, providing a common solution to all three F-35 aircraft variants . Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Company provides the transparency removal system which cuts the canopy for the seat to exit and Honeywell provide vital Life Support systems for the pilot."

First Video on Utube now (now also widescreen): [1.3Mb .FLV in IE cache]

Amazing video of ejector seat in action on BAE's new F-35 fighter jet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBL-kSCr ... r_embedded

Last edited by FlightDreamz on Apr 08, 2011 - 02:52 AM; edited 2 times in total

This was covered on <a href="http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&newspaperUserId=27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3afb8f90ae-ffd7-47b5-8bf1-947c38d34eda&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest">AviationWeek.co</a>m as well. Quote from AviationWeek,"BAE Systems Tech Manager RickWhittakar say's "ejecting from an aircraft like an F-35 typically takes no more than three seconds from the time the ejection handle is pulled to the pilot being on a parachute."
Nice to see some good press for the F-35. Would like to see some close-ups and/or slow motion capture of the canopy being detonated during the ejection (or are they ejecting through the canopy?) - but I guess you can't have everything. Shrug

Sorry double post! Doh

Last edited by spazsinbad on Apr 08, 2011 - 05:44 AM; edited 1 time in total

Probably most modern ejection seats have similar time frame - however the MB US16E JSF seat has special features [N.B. AirBag Around HELMET]. http://www.martin-baker.com/products/Ej ... --JSF.aspx

Anyhoo here is the sequence from a Skyhawk A4G NATOPS (2-4 seconds to full chute depending on airspeed).

F-35 special features:
http://sitelife.aviationweek.com/ver1.0 ... c.Full.jpg

Last edited by spazsinbad on Apr 08, 2011 - 06:29 AM; edited 2 times in total

Still Photo Sequence of F-35 Ejection Seat Testing:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bae_systemsplc/5588363547/

Photo Download: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5058/558 ... ee_z_d.jpg
&
HERE: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5058/558 ... 853aee.jpg

Is the pilot's head meant to snap forward like that? If not, could the helmet be a bit front-heavy?

Last edited by spazsinbad on Apr 08, 2011 - 07:35 AM; edited 1 time in total

There is an airbag that will keep helmet/head upright. All ejection seats prior to this F-35 innovation (due to weight / size of HMDS etc.) had this 'problem'. I'll post a graphic illustration from a dramatic A4G deck height successful ejection when arrestor wire broke during a normal arrest on HMAS Melbourne. Otherwise this link has more info about F-35: (same item on another thread about F-35 seat): http://www.f-16.net/f-16_forum_viewtopic-t-14524.html

Bang Seat Battle Posted by Bill Sweetman at 9/16/2010

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/de ... d=blogDest

F-35 JSF – The Great Escape November 13th, 2007

http://www.defencetalk.com/f-35-jsf-the ... ape-13463/

"Dubai: BAE Systems has completed Design Verification Testing for the crew escape system for the Short Take Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35 Lighting II.

This series of tests has provided important risk reduction on the escape system to make sure F-35 pilots can eject safely and is an important milestone in the path to first flight of the first STOVL aircraft in Spring 2008.

BAE Systems F-35 Lightning II Crew Escape IPT leader John Thornton said: “We had some significant technical challenges to overcome in the design of the escape system, including providing enhanced neck-load protection during ejection. This is required because the F-35’s state of the art helmet is heavier and has a bigger frontal area to accommodate the visor mounted display. In addition, we also have the challenge of designing a system that can accommodate various sizes of pilot. The F-35 ejection seat is already a design classic. It is the most sophisticated and capable seat in the Western world – and it’s still in development.”

Manufactured by Martin Baker Aircraft Co, the ejection seat is an important part of the overall crew escape system and the new F-35 series ejection seat is a benchmark in design and technology...."

FlightDreamz asked about the canopy.... During the tests (or the ones seen on this thread) the canopy was not fitted. However...

Emergency Egress Systems

http://www.mcselph.com/eesys.htm

Saving lives with controlled explosive is paramount at PSEMC. Our Emergency Transparency Removal and Structural Severance Systems can be installed as original equipment or as a retrofit with weight, cost and performance advantages. PSEMC has over 35 years experience in emergency pilot egress from fixed wing and rotary aircraft. Canopy Fracturing/Severance Systems instantaneously remove the canopy transparency and opens a clear path allowing immediate safe aircrew egress. Structural Severance Systems using flexible linear shaped charge severs the aircraft structure and allows separation of a aircrew module for safe escape form a disabled aircraft. Egress systems include aircraft platforms such as the, F-111, B-1B, Space Shuttle/747 Carrier, C-17, AH-1, AH-64, JAS-39, T-6, F-35, T-38 and many others."

WOW some really excellent video and pics.

CF-18 Lethbridge Crash 2010: + Zoom to Head Down Postion:

http://www.polls.newsvine.com/_vine/ima ... 739045.jpg

Forum: General F-35 Forum

Video F-35 Ejection Hi Speed Test