Nov 172011
Lockheed F-35B takeoff/landing tests on board the USS Wasp. Some pretty spiffy footage of vertical landings and short takeoffs… pay special attention to the effect of the jet blast on the water.
[youtube Ki86x1WKPmE]
13 Responses to “F-35B Ship Suitability Testing”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Bloody ‘ell. The damn beastie actually works.
Let’s try that again with a full loadout hanging off the wings.
And in stormy seas.
That raises an interesting question: Which is harder – landing a VTOL on a deck in stormy seas, or landing via arrestor hook in stormy seas?
Since VTOL is harder than CTOL on a fixed runway with no wind…
I foresee a variant of the cable-winch deal they used with choppers. How you make it work with an F-35B is beyond my ken, but it’ll work.
[/handwave]
Unless, of course, you’re flying an F-35 with computer controls. : )
WASP is the size of a WW2 attack carrier of the MIDWAY class. Equipped with F-35Bs she could make a credible light attack carrier, escort carrier, or sea control ship.
What a different world we would live in had we had this ship and this airplane in Vietnam.
As our benevolent host posited above: How do you land a VTOL bird on a deck that’s rolling 30 degrees either side without any assistance?
Carefully… very, very carefully…
Ask a Harrier pilot. They’ve been doing it for quite a while. They did a pretty credible job in the Falklands with a couple of carriers this size.
Supposedly the Harriers were operating in conditions that would have grounded aircraft on a CVN. (Least that’s the way I heard it put years ago.)
I imagine visibility was the limiting factor. CVN’s “close the field” if they don’t have 3 miles vis or more.
VTOL/Helicopter OPS tend to be more forgiving in this regard as the pilots have more control over their approach speed/angle than in traditional aircraft
30 degrees is an un-realistic amount of roll for a modern amphib.
That said I imagine it would be much like landing a helo, all in the timing.
RAST (The Recovery Assistance “cable-winch deal”) mentioned by Capt Ned was really a last resort item for use on FFGs and Tychos where pitch and roll due to wind/sea-state was a greater concern. On a flat-top there is a lot of room to drift. on a small-boy the flight-deck may only be a few meters larger than the aircraft’s landed footprint.