AF-1, an F-35A test aircraft at Edwards AFB, Calif., recently flew its final mission testing for clear wing flutter, announced prime contractor Lockheed Martin. This testing, conducted over the course of three years, was meant to ensure that the aircraft’s structure can withstand various aerodynamic loads, helping to certify its design, according to the company’s Feb. 11 release. “The testing demonstrated the F-35 is clear of flutter, at speeds up to 1.6 Mach and 700 knots with weapon bay doors open or closed,” states the release. The data collected prove that the F-35A’s flight dynamics maintain “a large margin between its designed airspeed and airspeeds where possible flutter could occur,” said the company.
The Air Force is shoring up its cyber defenses both on and off base for critical infrastructure such as water and electrical power, and industry experts are calling for more, even specialized, dedicated microgrids offsite to support USAF operations in case of a total blackout caused by cyberattacks.
