Pratt & Whitney officials say the company’s F135 Joint Strike Fighter engine has been cleared to power the F-35 Lightning II on its first flight. The F135 has achieved initial flight release from the F-35 joint program office after completing all tests and verification reports, according to an Oct. 23 company statement. The engine will power the F-35 conventional take-off and landing version. The F135 has amassed more than 6,000 hours in ground engine runs and completed full afterburner tests. Taxi tests are slated for later this fall.
A B-52 bomber from Minot Air Force Base, Mont., flew over the Caribbean Sea and near Venezuela on Nov. 24, according to open-source flight tracking data—the second time in four days such a mission has unfolded.
