Lockheed-Martin X-35A Joint Strike Fighter at Air Force Plant 42: October 24 and November 22, 2000 |
(Download a higher resolution picture by clicking on any
picture below.)
The Lockheed-Martin X-35A Joint Strike Fighter took off on its first flight from Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, California on the morning of October 24, 2000.
A pair of F-16C chase planes from the 412th
Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base took off and made a circuit
of the pattern.
The X-35A has a very different sound from the F-16 chase planes. Deeper and louder, with more vibrato. There was no doubt when it ran up its engine for its take-off run.
The X-35A immediately banked to the left to
head for Edwards Air Force Base.
For its initial flight tests, this X-35A was in the conventional take-off configuration selected by the Air Force. The second prototype, designated X-35C, will have the larger wings that the Navy version will need.
An F-16C chase plane took up a position to the
right and slightly behind the X-35A for the 21-minute hop to
Edwards Air Force Base.
Unlike the Boeing X-32, the Lockheed-Martin X-35A attempted to retract its landing gear on its first flight. The nose gear doors did not close completely, and the landing gear was extended again.
The reason that these pictures seem soft, grainy, and blurred is that the X-35A never got very close to my shooting position. Even with a 400mm telephoto lens, the X-35A was very small in the viewfinder. These are blowups of a small part of each frame..
Read the Lockheed-Martin press release about the first flight of the X-35A
The Lockheed-Martin X-35A Joint Strike Fighter returned to Palmdale on November 22, a little after three in the afternoon. It made a series of touch-and-go landings.
It will be equipped with a lift fan and vectored thrust nozzle for short take-off/vertical landing tests in support of the Marine Corps variant of the JSF next year. Its new configuration will be designated the X-35B.
While I was waiting for the X-35A, several other airplanes flew the approach to runway 25.
Marine Lockheed KC-130F Hercules, 149800. Tail
code QB indicates that it is from the Marine Aerial Refueling
Transport Squadron VMGR 352, "The Raiders" based at
MCAS Miramar.
Visit the MCAS Miramar website.
Air Force Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker, 64-14833 of the Air
Mobility Command. The KC-135R model has been re-engined with
22,000-pound thrust GE-SNECMA F108-CF-100 (military version of
the CFM-56) high-bypass turbofan engines.
Visit Boeing's KC-135 Stratotanker product page.
Visit the Federation of American Scientists KC-135R page.
Air National Guard Lockheed C-130E Hercules,
61-1792. Tail code CI indicates that this Hercules flies with the
146th Airlift Wing based at Channel Islands Guard Base, across
the runway from Pt. Mugu NAWS.
Refer to the Air Force C-130 Hercules Fact Sheet.
Air Force Lockheed U-2S, 80-1067 carries a little red skunk on its tail. Ice has formed on areas of the wing that are cooled by cold-soaked fuel remaining in the bottom of the tanks. The U-2S model has been re-engined with 19,000-pound thrust General Electric F118-GE-101 turbofan engines.
Refer to the Air Force U-2R/U-2S Fact Sheet.
Maine Air National Guard Boeing
KC-135E Stratotanker, 57-1471 from the 101st Air Refueling Wing
based at Bangor Air National Guard Base. The KC-135E model has
been re-engined with 21,000-pound thrust Pratt & Whitney JT3D
low-bypass turbofan engines salvaged from a retired Boeing 707.
The vertical stabilizer was also transplanted from the 707 to
provide the extra rudder control authority needed in the event of
a failure of one of the higher thrust engines.
Visit the web page of the 101st ARW.
Refer to the Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker Fact Sheet.
Air Force Lockheed X-35A, 301 Joint Strike Fighter prototype with
F-16B Falcon chase plane from the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air
Force Base. The 412th Test Wing is responsible for Air Force
Development Test & Evaluation flight testing of aircraft
systems and develops, operates, and maintains test facilities
used to support flight testing.
Lockheed X-35A, 301 Joint Strike Fighter prototype on approach to
land at Palmdale
Air Force Lockheed X-35A, 301 Joint Strike Fighter prototype has
a little black skunk on its tail. The blue tail stripe with white
"x"s indicates that it is operated by the 412th Test
Wing at Edwards Air Force Base.
Air Force Lockheed X-35A, 301 Joint Strike Fighter prototype.
Here is a 3-D view from the video that
I shot. Just cross your eyes until the images line up.
Link to Lockheed-Martin's JSF Photo Gallery.
Read Lockheed-Martin's JSF press releases.
Visit the Air Force X-35 Program Page.
The Lockheed-Martin X-35 Joint Strike Fighter demonstrator took off on its first flight from Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, California on the morning of October 24, 2000. It returned to Palmdale on November 22. It was then equipped with a lift fan and vectored thrust nozzle for short take-off/vertical landing tests as the X-35B. The Lockheed-Martin X-35B vertical take-off prototype flew from Palmdale to Edwards AFB on July 3, 2001. The first Lockheed-Martin F-35A Lightning II, AA-1 completed air-start and noise tests at Edwards Air Force Base on Thursday October 23, 2008. It returned to Fort Worth on October 24.
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X-35A Joint Strike Fighter demonstrator 301, Palmdale Air Force Plant 42, November 22, 2001
F-35A prototype AA-1, Edwards Air Force Base, October 23, 2008
F-35B BuNo 168720 Modex 02, VMFA-121, Luke Air Force Base, December 10, 2013
F-35A 11-5030, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base, March 10, 2014
F-35A 13-5068 of the 62nd Fighter Squadron Spikes, Luke Air Force Base, January 31, 2018
Royal Norwegian Air Force F-35A 15-5146,62nd Fighter Squadron Spikes, Luke AFB, January 31, 2018
F-35A 15-5120 of the 63rd Fighter Squadron Panthers, Luke Air Force Base, January 31, 2018
F-35A 15-5127 of the 63rd Fighter Squadron Panthers, Luke Air Force Base, January 31, 2018
F-35A 10-5011 of the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, January 31, 2018
F-35A 15-5164 of the 62nd Fighter Squadron Spikes, Luke Air Force Base, March 16, 2018
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Joint Strike Fighter : Boeing X-32 Vs Lockheed
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Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker : More Than
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Go to the home page of the Goleta Air and Space Museum.
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