F-35B succeeds in STOVL propulsion ground test

摘要

The shaft-driven lift fan propulsion system that will enable the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter to perform short takeoffs and vertical landings (STOVL) recently operated for the first time in the aircraft during ground testing at the newly constructed hover pit at Lockheed Martin's STOVL Operations Test Facility in Fort Worth, TX. BAE Systems pilot Graham Tomlinson performed two conversions from conventional (wing-borne) to STOVL (jet-borne) mode with the aircraft anchored to the specially instrumented hover pit. The test was part of the final series of ground tests prior to the F-35B's first flight in the following weeks.