The F-35A conventional take-off and landing Joint Strike Fighter dubbed AA-1 landed at Edwards AFB, Calif., on Oct. 1 for a series of tests, including air-start and noise testing. According to prime contractor Lockheed Martin, AA-1 made its 50th flight in late September in Fort Worth, Tex. A Sept. 30 company release said the aircraft flew on Sept. 16 with a full weapons load (using mock weapons) in its internal weapons bays for the first time and on Sept. 25 went through in-flight refueling testing. According to Lockheed’s chief F-35 test pilot, Jon Beesley, “The climb out with full internal weapons carriage was particularly impressive to me; very pleasant to see clean fighter climb rates and angles while carrying a combat load.” (USAF photo release)
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as of late.