See U.S. Navy Test F-35Cs Aboard USS George Washington

During a three-week test period, the U.S. Navy is flying seven F-35Cs from the Navy’s first operational F-35 squadron, the “Grim Reapers” Fighter Sqdn. (VFA) 101, and Air Test and Evaluation Sqdn. (VX) 23, based out of NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. Testing began Aug. 3 and is scheduled to wrap up Aug. 23. 

Each of the 12 Navy pilots aboard the ship had to complete 10 arrested landings and two touch-and-goes to qualify to fly the F-35C from an aircraft carrier. By midday on Aug. 15, 11 out of the 12 pilots had completed carrier qualifications.

As of Aviation Week’s visit, the pilots had successfully flown 118 out of 118 sorties with zero “bolters,” which occur when an aircraft attempting an arrested landing touches down but fails to catch the arresting cable and come to a stop. After a bolter, which can be dangerous, the pilot must accelerate at full throttle to fly off the deck and re-attempt the landing.

The F-35’s automatic flight control system, Delta Flight Path, makes landing on a carrier much easier. All the pilot has to do is toggle a button on the stick, and the aircraft’s computer does the rest, automatically capturing and maintaining a glideslope for a solid landing. The Navy, which is working on a similar capability known as “Magic Carpet” for the F/A-18 Super Hornet, hopes this will greatly reduce pilot workload and increase safety.  

One pilot, Lt. Graham Cleveland, says the F-35 is “a lot easier to fly, but a lot more difficult to operate” compared with legacy jets. This is due to the massive amount of data the aircraft collects and distributes to the cockpit. 

During this final phase of developmental tests (DT-III), the Navy plans to complete external and asymmetric weapons load testing, cross-wind landings, maximum power launches, landing systems certifications, as well as interoperability and logistics testing.

Testing of different configurations of the F-35’s external weapons loadout is key to giving the jet its full warfighting capability. During DT-III, the team will test how the aircraft handles with varying amounts of weapons payload on each wing, called “asymmetric” testing. 

The DT team will also test a different software load for the Generation III helmet, which is expected to correct issues with light leakage and “green glow” that obscured the pilots’ vision during night flights. The issue was first discovered during the initial phase of developmental testing in November 2014.

The F-35C’s tailhook was redesigned several years ago after it failed repeatedly in ground testing, but it now appears to be performing well. The redesign added stronger dampening to the hook to keep it from bouncing on deck upon touchdown. Also, the hook was sharpened to achieve a better scoop under the wire. 

Aviation Week flew on and off the USS George Washington in a Northrop Grumman C-2 Greyhound, which the Navy currently uses for carrier onboard delivery (COD). The service will soon replace these Vietnam War-era aircraft with the new tilt-rotor V-22 Osprey.