The day after proving the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing test aircraft could hover successfully, F-35 lead STOVL pilot Graham Tomlinson took BF-1 through its first vertical landing demonstration on March 18 at NAS Patuxent River, Md. In a Lockheed Martin release, Tomlinson said, “Today’s vertical landing onto a 95-foot square pad showed that we have the thrust and the control to maneuver accurately both in free air and in the descent through ground effect.” He conducted an 80-knot short takeoff and 13 minutes later positioned the test aircraft 150 feet above the airfield, hovering for one minute before descending to the runway. Tomlinson, a retired RAF pilot who works for BAE Systems, praised the low cockpit workload of the F-35B, saying it “contrasted sharply with legacy” STOVL platforms. Robert Stevens, Lockheed’s chairman and CEO, called the test a “vivid demonstration of innovative technology.”
The Space Force’s small size has limited its capacity to consider what role it will play in future operations on and around the moon. That needs to change, according to Vice Chief of Operations Gen. Shawn Bratton.
