Jane Edwards
An integrated test team within the U.S. Air Force has completed 25 weapons delivery and separation tests of the Lockheed Martin-built F-35 fighter jet.
The F-35 ITF at Edwards Air Force Base in California dropped and fired a total of 30 weapons that include the AIM-120 medium-range air-to-air missile, Joint Direct Attack Munition, AIM-9X Sidewinder and the GPS-guided small diameter bomb, Lockheed said Monday.
“This testing has moved us that much closer to delivering the full F-35 capability to warfighters within the next two years,“ said Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, F-35 program executive officer.
The F-35 test team demonstrated the fighter jet“™s performance in weapons delivery through three test events that used the aircraft“™s block 3F software as well as dropped multiple weapons in five test events.
The service branch“™s F-35 ITF performed the weapons testing activities at the Sea Test Range near Point Mugu Naval Air Station in California, White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico and California-based China Lake Weapons Range.
