NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. -- Flown by test pilot
Lt. Cmdr. Eric "Magic" Buus, F-35C test aircraft CF-2 lands at Joint
Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey June 25. CF-2 and the F-35
integrated test team from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. are at
the NAVAIR facility in Lakehurst for the first jet blast deflector (JBD)
testing, in preparation for carrier shipboard testing in 2013. The
team is at the JBD test facility to evaluate deck heating, JBD panel
cooling, and vibro-acoustic, thermal, and hot-gas ingestion
environments. The F-35C is the carrier variant of the three-service
Joint Strike Fighter, and has larger wing surfaces and reinforced
landing gear to perform in the demanding carrier environment. The F-35C
and F-35B are undergoing test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River
prior to eventual delivery to the fleet. (Photo courtesy of Lockheed
Martin) | | |