News

The 46th TW recently lent a hand to Lockheed Martin Company to perform a risk reduction and development test of weapon lanyards for the F-35 System Development and Demonstration program at the Simulated Environment for Munitions facility.

The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II made its first flight with BAE test pilot Graham Tomlinson at the controls from Lockheeds Martin's Fort Worth facility.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program in the Netherlands has taken a turn. The next fighter for the Dutch could be a more open competitive process.

Lockheed Martin tested the shaft driven lift fan propulsion system on the F-35B Lightning II, performing short takeoffs and vertical landings (STOVL) for the first time during ground testing on Sunday, May 25.

"Since I can't put the exploding-head guy from Scanners in a reply field, you will have to assume that he is here." So went a comment in the Aviation Week Blog by aerospace writer Bill Sweetman in a discussion about the F-35 program.

The United States Department of Defense has authorized the release of funds to buy six conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35A Lightning IIs for the US Air Force.

The first group of maintenance crews for the F-35 Lightning II have successfully completed classroom instruction and certification training.

A review of Australia's air combat capability, due out this week, will confirm the F-35 for RAAF service.

The British pilot who will be the first person to fly the short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B started and ran the aircraft's engine for the first time on April 18, initiating the final series of ground tests before the jet's first flight.

The 412th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron performed aircraft power and cooling air system training in hangar 1820 at Edwards AFB on April 15 in preparation for the F-35 Lightning II's tentative arrival in mid-May.

Pratt & Whitney completed all altitude testing necessary for flight qualification of the F135 short-takeoff/vertical-landing (STOVL) propulsion system at the U.S. Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tennessee.

Northrop Grumman Corporation has begun assembling the center fuselage for the first production F-35 jet.

Goodrich Corporation has been selected by Lockheed Martin to supply the air data system for the F-35 Lightning II program.

All interested individuals, groups and agencies can comment about the environmental impact of placing 36 F-35 Lightning II aircraft at Nellis Air Force Base. The comment period runs April 4 - May 19.

The news service Reuters has obtained a Pentagon document which states that F-35 costs have been "virtually unchanged" over the past year.