Forum: F-35 Design & Construction

Has that idea been patented?

By David Pugliese

Defence Watch

The F-35 is going to be outfitted with a drag chute so it can stop on short runways and on ice-covered runways.

The Canadian Forces, along with the militaries of Norway and the Netherlands, were in the process of funding the installation of the drag chute. They were going to share the cost of the development.

But Norway has decided to move forward and fund the whole project on its own.

Lockheed Martin’s Keith Knotts recently explained the situation to Defence Watch:

“As Norway increased their buy of aircraft from 48 to 52 and then additionally accelerated their buy, they pretty much stuck out in front of everybody else and they agreed they would go ahead and fund the event themselves and the other countries would just have the future benefits of that in a future date when their aircraft are manufactured,” he explained. “Norway has taken the lead and will ensure that drag chute capability is available for not only those two countries but any country that wants to add upper attachments points to the aircraft as well as having a drag chute capability.”

Norwegian vs. Canadian pilots on the drag chute:

"These come from Lt. Col. Sigurd Fongen and Colonel Charles Svensson, both experienced Norwegian F-16 pilots now with the Norwegian F-35 program. In bold are the original views of the CF pilot, with the responses from the Norwegians:

-At altitude, where the temperatures are minus 50 C, they tend to freeze and turn into ice cubes.

Not true – Norway has operated the F-16 with drag chutes in the high north for 30 years and we have not had any such issues with it.

-When you really need them they don’t work/deploy.

Not true – Many Norwegian pilots, ourselves included, have found the drag chute to be a trusted friend when landing on short or icy runways.

-They cause “weather cocking” into the wind and you then slide off the runway by the pull of the chute itself. When that occurs the pilot immediately needs to “emergency jettison” the chute, leaving the pilot is an even more dangerous situation.

Not true – If cross winds becomes an issue, then you simply drop the chute before you normally would. There is no need for an “emergency jettison.” Even if you deploy the chute and only keep it for a few seconds, at least on the F-16, this immediately drops your speed by 50 knots or more, which can be critical when landing on short or icy runways.

-Who is there to “re-pack” them on subsequent requirements? In the north, in particular.

You don’t need a brake chute on every trip, and if you have a frequent requirement for a brake chute you simply store pre-packed chutes in forward locations where they might be needed. The additional logistics for this is minimal, and again, we have done this for decades with little issue. Installing a new chute before a new flight is a relatively easy task.

-Destroys stealth design. Why pay for stealth in the first place then?

Not true – the drag chute for the F-35 will have a design to conform with the body of the aircraft and will have very little effect on its radar signature.

-Little use in a “one runway only” environment resulting in a crosswind environment on landing and therefore of no use.

Not true – Most of Norway’s air bases have been “one runway only” and we have we have been effectively deploying drag chutes on all of them.

-Bottom line: Of no use in the NORAD and northern climates. Simply cannot stake your life on its use.

Not true – bottom line – drag chutes have significant value when operating in the high north, and we have decades of operational experience to prove it. That is why they remain a critical requirement for Norway with the F-35."

http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2012/09/ ... rag-chute/