Navy runs F-35C through catapult testing

Posted by John McHale

LAKEHURST, N.J., 28 July 2011.F-35CJoint Strike Fighter (JSF) test pilots completed the jet's first steam catapult launch bringing the program one step closer toward initial ship trials in 2013. Navy engineers used a TC-13 Mod 2 test steam catapult to launch F-35C test aircraft CF-3. The Navy currently uses steam catapults on board aircraft carriers to launch different aircraft.The F-35C carrier variant of the JSF differs from the F-35A and F-35B variants because it has larger wing surfaces and reinforced landing gear for slower catapult launch and landing approach speeds as well as deck impacts associated with the demanding carrier take-off and landing environment. CF-3 is the designated carrier suitability testing aircraft assigned to the F-35 integrated test facility at Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Md. The integrated test team also plans execute a test plan over three weeks to have dual-aircraft jet blast deflector testing and catapult launches performed using a degraded catapult configuration to measure the effects of steam ingestion on the jet.