F-35 JSF jet flight test update

Posted by John McHaleFORT WORTH, Texas, 30 July 2011. The F-35 flight test program is close to obtaining its year-end milestones. The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35 jet program made 107 test flights since June 13, bringing the total number of flights for the year to 518 -- placing the program about 42 flights ahead of where program officials expected to be at this time.Milestones accomplished in the last month include a fifth F-35B Lightning II short take off/vertical landing (STOVL) flight test aircraft delivered to the Marine Corps; AF-9 AF-8 production F-35s were delivered to Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Fla., for F-35 pilot training; jet blast deflector (JBD) testing starting on F-35C Lightning II carrier variant (CV) aircraft; and AF-6 and AF-7 test aircraft performed Maturity Flight testing of the training syllabus software at Edwards AFB. Other accomplishments include:- AF-2 completing its 1,000th test flight (including AA-1) for the F-35 System Development and Demonstration 0 - (SDD) test program on July 6; - AF-3, at Edwards AFB, completing the 500th SDD flight for 2011 on July 21; and122 vertical landings being performed to date. Cumulative flight test activity totals for 2011 are:- 250 test flights for the F-35A conventional take off and landing (CTOL) variant;- 187 flights for the F-35B short take off/ vertical landing (STOVL) variant; and - F81 flights for the -35C carrier variant (CV) jets. From the start of flight testing in December 2006 through July 25, 2011, F-35 jets flew 1,065 times, including the production-model flights and AA-1, the original flight test aircraft. See also:F-35 training jets funding approved by NorwaySpace shuttle ends last mission, American Airlines orders A320neos for first time, and F-35 pilot pilots start trainingFirst F-35 jet for pilot training arrives at Eglin AFBFuture cockpits, ITAR hassles, F-35 software issues, Airbus A320neo orders, empty U.S. pavilion among perspectives from Paris Air ShowF-35 center fuselage delivered to Royal Netherlands air force