AA-1, the test aircraft for the conventional takeoff and landing version of the F-35, flies supersonic for the first time during testing over northern Texas, flying out of the Lockheed Martin Fort Worth, Tex., facility. It reached Mach 1.05 at 30,000 feet, carrying weight to simulate a full weapons load.
The Collaborative Combat Aircraft will be operational in the late 2020s, several years before the Next-Generation Air Dominance family of systems, Air Force officials told the House Armed Services tactical aviation panel. The CCAs will first be “shooters,” then electronic warfare platforms, then sensors, in that order, they added.