The Air Force F-35A variant flew for the first time with wing-mounted external weapons, slinging a pair of AIM-9X air-to-air missiles aloft from Edwards AFB, Calif., announced F-35 prime contractor Lockheed Martin. Demonstrating carriage of its six external pylons, AF-1, an F-35A test aircraft, carried an additional internal load of two 2,000-pound GBU-31 joint direct attack munitions and two AIM-120 air-to-air missiles during the Feb. 16 envelope-expansion sortie from Edwards AFB, Calif., according to the company. The F-35A is capable of carrying 18,000 pounds of ordnance on 10 stations, four of them internal. Carrying external weapons does reduce the aircraft’s low-observable aspect. AF-1 did not deploy any weapons during the flight. This is the same airframe that was the first in the test fleet to resume flight operations after a brief standdown due to a drag-chute issue earlier this year.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
