Navy F-35C DT-III Testing

Production milestones, roll-outs, test flights, service introduction and other milestones.
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by spazsinbad » 30 Aug 2016, 09:22

F-35C Completes DT-III Ahead of Schedule
29 Aug 2016 CVN-73

"The F-35 Patuxent River Integrated Test Force (ITF) completed the third and final shipboard developmental test phase (DT-III) for the F-35C Lightning II aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73) Aug. 25 - one week earlier than scheduled.

The highly diverse cadre of technicians, maintainers, engineers, logisticians, support staff, and test pilots assigned to the Salty Dogs of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 showcased their trademark test efficiency and effectiveness by completing 100 percent of the required DT-III test points during 41 flights logging 39.7 flight hours and featuring 121 catapults, 70 touch and go landings, 1 bolter, and 121 arrestments. The team also completed their previous two shipboard detachments early - DT-I aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in 2014 ended three days early and DT-II aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) in 2015 ended six days early. The Salty Dogs returned to Naval Air Station Patuxent River on Aug. 26."

Source: https://www.f35.com/news/detail/f-35c-c ... f-schedule


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by spazsinbad » 30 Aug 2016, 09:45

LM GM Weekly Update
26 Aug 2016 Jeff Babione

F-35C DT-III
As the Edwards test team continues to knock it out of the park, the F-35C is wearing out the three wire on USS George Washington (CVN 73) for DT-III. Now finishing up their second week of action out at sea, the team is literally blowing through test points, surpassing minimum wind over deck and high wind over deck points up to 45 knots.

Those are very difficult points to meet and the team is doing an outstanding job of completing these crucial test points. The aircraft and team continue their impressive streak of 114 arrestments and zero bolters. If you add the 120 arrestments the pilots from VFA-101 completed last week during pilot carrier qualifications, the F-35C has accomplished an astonishing 234 arrestments without a single miss during this deployment....”

Source: https://a855196877272cb14560-2a4fa819a6 ... _26_16.pdf (0.74Mb)


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by popcorn » 30 Aug 2016, 11:37

Tearing up concrete runways and now wearing out the No, 3 wire... who knew the JSF would be so destructive? :devil:
"When a fifth-generation fighter meets a fourth-generation fighter—the [latter] dies,”
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by sferrin » 30 Aug 2016, 13:32

spazsinbad wrote:
LM GM Weekly Update
26 Aug 2016 Jeff Babione

F-35C DT-III
As the Edwards test team continues to knock it out of the park, the F-35C is wearing out the three wire on USS George Washington (CVN 73) for DT-III. Now finishing up their second week of action out at sea, the team is literally blowing through test points, surpassing minimum wind over deck and high wind over deck points up to 45 knots.

Those are very difficult points to meet and the team is doing an outstanding job of completing these crucial test points. The aircraft and team continue their impressive streak of 114 arrestments and zero bolters. If you add the 120 arrestments the pilots from VFA-101 completed last week during pilot carrier qualifications, the F-35C has accomplished an astonishing 234 arrestments without a single miss during this deployment....”

Source: https://a855196877272cb14560-2a4fa819a6 ... _26_16.pdf (0.74Mb)


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by zerion » 30 Aug 2016, 17:48

sferrin wrote:<shakes head> No, you don't understand. The tailhook will never work. - Basement Dweller.


Basement Dweller "F-35 is bad because 3 wire will have to be replaced more."


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by XanderCrews » 30 Aug 2016, 18:27

zerion wrote:
sferrin wrote:<shakes head> No, you don't understand. The tailhook will never work. - Basement Dweller.


Basement Dweller "F-35 is bad because 3 wire will have to be replaced more."



"It will cost more to replace three wires than one-- that is more expensive"
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by SpudmanWP » 30 Aug 2016, 18:53

All wires are replaced based on wear patterns.

If one goes sooner that means that he rest last longer.

It all costs the same in the end.

Actually, there is a small savings in cost due to fuel saved & airframe hours saved from not having any bolters :roll:
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by Jon » 30 Aug 2016, 22:46

XanderCrews wrote:
zerion wrote:
sferrin wrote:<shakes head> No, you don't understand. The tailhook will never work. - Basement Dweller.


Basement Dweller "F-35 is bad because 3 wire will have to be replaced more."



"It will cost more to replace three wires than one-- that is more expensive"


Hopefully your reply above is tongue and cheek.

3 wire is the count numerical sequence not that three wires need to be replaced. 3 wire is always the goal for landing for many years prior to F-35 testing. A wire needs to be replaced every 100 landings. Cost won't change.


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by spazsinbad » 30 Aug 2016, 22:59

Now that there are 3 wire and older 4 wire CVNs the target wire changes accordingly. I have seen several different references to when a wire is changed - according to number of arrests - and of course it is changed if it is damaged.


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by Jon » 31 Aug 2016, 03:37

spazsinbad wrote:Now that there are 3 wire and older 4 wire CVNs the target wire changes accordingly. I have seen several different references to when a wire is changed - according to number of arrests - and of course it is changed if it is damaged.


From the time of being a child reading books on naval aviation, it was always the 3 wire that was sought. The "Okay 3 wire" and even though the four wire has been removed, it's still the 3 wire that is primary. What was it for Australia?

Back on topic, can some one post here when the DT-III operations end. Also it would appear that photo that showed the four VFA-101 aircraft were truly departing CVN-73 leaving only the two remaining F-35Cs from Pax. Any photos I've seen of DT-III testing have been of the VX-23 aircraft.


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by spazsinbad » 31 Aug 2016, 04:32

'Jon' I am an old fella with a childhood also. I made a model of the last conventional powered aircraft carrier with tiny tiny tiny A-4s on it - little did I know then. However HMAS Melbourne had FIVE WIRES in the A4G-S2E/G era whilst in earlier times she had SIX wires (the last 6th wire removed because an A4G would go over the front of the angle deck if used). With the full five wires set out target wire was No.4 which was just on the aft end of the aft lift which had a slight lip meeting the flight deck so hook skips were common for a No.5 wire arrest. Mostly however there were not five but four wires set so the target wire became usually No.3 but it depended on the configuration of the remaining wires. The minimum number of wires was three for safe operations. Meanwhile... have a look at page two. The graphic repeated below shows the target spot/wire for four wire and three wire CVNs. I have placed megatonnage of info about carrier landings from the ancient past to impossible future (FORD Class looks suspect for some new fangled gizmos at moment). You may find that interesting reading in your dotage? :mrgreen: Childhood information often becomes superseded by reality.

ADDITION: Perhaps what is not clear: the target wire needs a hook skip wire forward or just plain 'slightly too high at touch down [HTDP Hook Touch Down Point]' so that the aircraft has an opportunity to arrest if the target wire is missed for whatever reason. The ship/deck moves as well - often at the most inopportune time - so there is that. Happy Landings.

download/file.php?id=23403&t=1

Image
Last edited by spazsinbad on 31 Aug 2016, 05:41, edited 4 times in total.


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by spazsinbad » 31 Aug 2016, 04:39

'Jon' said: "...Back on topic, can some one post here when the DT-III operations end. Also it would appear that photo that showed the four VFA-101 aircraft were truly departing CVN-73 leaving only the two remaining F-35Cs from Pax. Any photos I've seen of DT-III testing have been of the VX-23 aircraft."

Have not the news items about the end of DT-III been clear? I'll have to read them again to get the precise end date - it would be implied if not stated. When VX-23 aircraft depart then DT-III is over. Yes you are correct the VFA-101 pilots day qualified and then left within a few days. They had no other purpose there - not instrumented aircraft - otherwise.

TOP of this thread page is the end date: 25th August 2016 from the mouth of the nuclear horse:
F-35C Completes DT-III Ahead of Schedule
29 Aug 2016 CVN-73

"The F-35 Patuxent River Integrated Test Force (ITF) completed the third and final shipboard developmental test phase (DT-III) for the F-35C Lightning II aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73) Aug. 25 - one week earlier than scheduled...."

Source: https://www.f35.com/news/detail/f-35c-c ... f-schedule


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by Jon » 01 Sep 2016, 03:16

(the last 6th wire removed because an A4G would go over the front of the angle deck if used).


Hopefully that was tested and known before a mishap.


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by spazsinbad » 01 Sep 2016, 04:05

The sixth wire - in the Sea Venom/Gannet era - was a well known issue. It was nicknamed the 'JC!' wire :devil: because that is what Gannet pilots particularly said when they first arrested with that wire. Being higher up over the nosewheel - compared to the Sea Venom F.A.W. Mk.53 - the Gannet pilot view over the front end of the angle deck was mortifying.

The wires were tested with 'the beast' (a large crane for aircraft crashes on deck) or a very heavy deck tractor, pulling out the wire to their extremity. I will guess geometry measurements would show the hopelessness for an A4G on a six wire.

The AFT end is top of this graphic of the wire arrangements for FIVE during the A4G era - reason - easier to read the text on the graphic. Barricade sheaves are between No.4 & No.5 wires - over the rear end of aft elevator. 30 Oct 1973 REV.

The tandem seat TA4G did not touch the deck. It was determined by test pilots on runways at NAS Nowra (using the mirror there) that there was insufficient bolter distance on deck to allow the nose to be raised before leaving the front of the angle deck. This aspect was particularly dangerous for night ops where one needs to be 'up & away' nose above the horizon and climbing, as soon as, when flying not far off the water on instruments, on those blacker than black nights at sea. The single seat A4G bolter performance was excellent - not that I ever bolted. :mrgreen: 45 years ago I proved it well - nite.
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by spazsinbad » 08 Sep 2016, 22:21

LM F-35 GM Weekly Update
01 Sep 2016 Jeff Babione

"Two F-35Cs from the ITF at Pax River recently completed ship trials while operating from USS George Washington (CVN 73) off the Atlantic Coast. The ITF flew nearly 40 hours and checked off 613 unique test points that further validated the carrier suitability of the F-35C. The jets accrued 121 catapult launches and arrested landings, 70 touch-and-goes and 125 wave-offs, with only one bolter or missed arrestment. The team once again understood their mission and went out in one of the harshest working environments anywhere, and flawlessly executed the final F-35C ship trial for SDD. The launch of CF-3 and CF-5 for their return flight to Pax River signified the completion of five years’ worth of carrier suitability testing.

David Skeels is an F-35 engineer who worked with the F-35C every step of the way. Five years ago he was at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, taking measurements of the runway trying to figure out why the previous hook design skipped over the cable in initial testing. Reflecting upon those days, the jet’s performance during this deployment exceeded his expectations.

“It’s quite gratifying to be part of a team coming from those tough early days to becoming the eye-watering jet it is for the Navy today,” David said. “After three SDD ship trials and carrier qualifying fleet pilots, we’ve come a long way from measuring runways and ship decks.”..."

Source: https://a855196877272cb14560-2a4fa819a6 ... 9_1_16.pdf (0.7Mb)


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