The first F-35B, with the short takeoff/vertical landing capability, is due to fly in May or June, Dan Crowley, Lockheed Martin F-35 vice president and general manager, told reporters during a teleconference April 8. There are ongoing issues with the lift fan, however, which the F-35 program executive officer, Air Force Maj. Gen. C.R. Davis, said are well understood and are being fixed. The STOVL version has been hitting all its milestones for 16 months and should be able to fly in the hover mode, as scheduled, in the fourth quarter of this year, Crowley said. The aircraft will fly and be shaken out first in conventional take off and landing mode, working up gradually to hover tests, he said.
Meink: Air Force Has Five More E-7s Under Contract
April 30, 2026
The Air Force has contracts in place for five additional E-7A Wedgetail airborne battle management aircraft, Secretary Troy Meink told lawmakers April 30. Meink also said the Department of the Air Force wants to work with Congress to find ways to continue to fund the E-7 next year and beyond,…