F-35B Bombed Up Flutter Test Pax River Sep 2017

[spazsinbad]

Can't get rid of some artifacts from PDF image - anyway from Combat Aircraft Vol18 No12 Dec 2017 - F-35B bombed up.

“F-35B test aircraft BF-02 departs NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, at the start of its 553rd test mission on September 22, 2017. As part of the flutter test mission, the Lightning II carried 2,000lb GBU-31 and 1,000lb GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions and AIM-9X missiles on its wing stations. US Navy/Dane Wiedmann” Combat Aircraft Vol18 No12 Dec 2017

[spazsinbad]

2018 Calendar 28 page PDF from same source above attached.

[willhan]

Larger version:

Source:

http://www.jsf.mil/images/f35/F-35B_17P00250_15.jpg

http://www.jsf.mil/images/f35/F-35B_17P00250_05.jpg

[spazsinbad]

Thanks - it was too late early this morning to go looking. TAH.

[go4long]

Safe to assume there was nothing in the internal bays?

[SpudmanWP]

Why would you assume that?

[go4long]

I reposted the picture and someone asked me what might be inside. But I figure if it's just testing for flutter there wouldn't be much gained by having something in the internal bays? or would there? I really don't know, hence the question.

[SpudmanWP]

You would still want to test it under "realistic" conditions and that is with internal weapons.

[archeman]

It is possible that Flutter tests are performed near expected failure limits if any, instead of 'normal' conditions (with munitions in the bays).
It would depend on what the analysts predicted in terms of the expected loading, speed and pitch that Flutter was expected to be near limits.

https://books.google.com/books?id=N2a4B ... ts&f=false

[go4long]

Interesting. Thanks for the replies.