BF-1, the
first F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing test aircraft, took to the skies for the first time yesterday, logging a historic inaugural flight of 44 minutes, lead contractor Lockheed Martin announced June 11. The flight took place from Lockheed’s F-35 assembly facility in Fort Worth, Tex., with British test pilot Graham Tomlinson at the controls. He said the flight was “relaxed,” with BF-1 performing “just as we predicted” based on simulator testing and flights with AA-1, the first F-35A conventional takeoff and landing aircraft, that already has 43 flights under its belt. Tomlinson guided BF-1 to 15,000 feet and performed a series of handling tests, engine-power variations, and subsystems checks. The aircraft’s propulsion operated only in conventional mode, as Lockheed Martin previously announced. BF-1 flights will evolve to include transitions to short takeoffs, hovers, and vertical landings beginning early next year. “This is truly an historic day for aviation and the JSF program,” said Maj. Gen. Charles Davis, F-35 program executive officer.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.