
Elite 5K
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Because this F-35 Forum Sub Section does state 'test flights' (not just 'milestone test flights') my thot is to continue but with a new thread about F-35C DT-II due to start next month. So here is the beginning.....
2015 STRIKE TEST NEWS
2015 VX-23 LCDR Daniel “Tonto” Kitts
"...F-35C Carrier Suitability (continued)
The Pax River ITF team is now in heavy preparation for F-35C DT-II. Shore-based catapults and arrested landings are prerequisites for DT-II and modification to the jet that incorporated the hardware for the GEN III helmet HMD is undergoing “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” tests. Additionally, the team is conducting a structural survey with [intentional] mis-serviced landing gear on the aircraft.
The goal of DT-II will be to complete the Aircraft Launch and Recovery Bulletins. Additional at-sea tests include afterburner catapult shots, DFP performance with a 4-degree glideslope, completion of catapult minimum energy shots, and night arrested landings. The completion of all of the DT-II objectives and the shore-based mis-serviced landing gear tests will clear the envelope for operational users to conduct day and night carrier qualifications.
The pace of testing will remain high as the F-35C Carrier Suit team prepares for the final developmental test at-sea period (DT-III) in 2016 and for USN IOC. In the meantime, various loadings of external stores will require a significant amount of shore-based catapults and arrested landings at Patuxent River and Lakehurst."
Source: http://issuu.com/nawcad_pao/docs/striketest2015_single (PDF 3.6Mb)
A4G Skyhawk: www.faaaa.asn.au/spazsinbad-a4g/ & www.youtube.com/channel/UCwqC_s6gcCVvG7NOge3qfAQ/videos?view_as=subscriber