F-35s Flying Again, but Face Continued Test Challenges | Aviation International News

F-35s Flying Again, but Face Continued Test Challenges

Flight tests of the Lockheed Martin F-35 resumed after a two-week grounding.

The first two F-35As fly in formation. Flight tests have resumed after a recent grounding. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

By Chris Pocock • Defense Correspondent

August 29, 2011

Flight tests of the Lockheed Martin F-35 resumed after a two-week grounding. The Joint Program Office (JPO) said that the failure of a control valve had led to the malfunction of the aircraft’s Integrated Power Package (IPP), supplied by Honeywell. But an investigation continues, while a permanent resolution of the problem is being worked, the JPO added.

The impact on the F-35 development schedule is not yet clear. In a report to Congress last May, Dr. Michael Gilmore, the Pentagon’s director of operational test and evaluation, said, “Flight envelope constraints have begun to challenge the program.” Gilmore noted that modifications to the F-35 control laws might not be sufficient to correct some undesirable handling characteristics and higher-than-predicted structural loads that had been discovered during flight tests. The already-troubled F-35B version might need a spoiler system, he added.

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