An F-35B makes a vertical landing aboard the USS Wasp
The F-35 Joijnt Strike Fighter program took a step forward and made a little aviation history with the first vertical landing by an F-35B, the shortt-takeoff, vertical-landing model destined for the Marine Corps.
Test aircraft BF-2, piloted by Lt. Col. Fred Schenk, landed safely on the USS Wasp (LHD-1) flight deck at 3:12 pm. “It was exactly like we predicted,” said Schenk.
The vertical landing is part of the initial ship trials for the F-35B, which began Monday and are expected to last two-weeks. A second aircraft is due to fly to the ship, located off mid-Atlantic Coast, klater this week.
The tests will collect data on the aircraft’s ability to perform short take-offs and vertical landings on a ship at sea, as well as determine how the aircraft integrates with the ship’s landing systems, deck and hangar operations.
- Bob Cox
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