CODE ONE: 2016 Volume 31, Number 1

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Aircraft

F-35C Developmental Test Phase 2

By Andy Wolfe Posted 29 January 2016
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Poor weather didn’t prevent F-35C CF-3 and CF-5 from arriving on USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in early October 2015 to kick off the start of Development Test-II. Cdr. Wilson and Lt. Chris Karapostoles both trapped on the rain-soaked deck of the Ike during their first attempt.CF-3 climbs away from the ship’s bow following a launch from catapult number 2. The prominent “69” on the end of the flight deck denotes this carrier as CVN-69.One key difference between DT-I and DT-II were the many afterburner catapult shots completed. This was made possible by modifications to the Cat 1 and Cat 3 jet blast deflectors. The mods provided greater cooling capacity to accommodate the higher concentration of heat and exhaust from the F-35's engine.The trailing edge flap on the left wing crosses only a few inches above the port side catwalk when launched from Catapult Number 4.The view of the flight deck from the MH-60 search and rescue helicopter during a launch illustrates the maintenance and flight deck team that work together for a successful cat shot.The sunrises at sea and the light on the flight deck made for dramatic backdrops to early morning CF-3 and CF-5 deck operations. The test team picked up right where it left off on DT-I and completed 100 percent of their DT-II test points including crosswind catapult launches and traps.The F-35C in full afterburner lit up the forward deck during night catapult launches turning night into day for brief moments.The F-35 Integrated Test Force maintainers and the ship’s deck handlers worked well together to ensure the aircraft were started and launched safely and effectively in a variety of conditions including night operations.Lt. Karapostoles guides CF-3 as it crosses the fantail of Ike for one of the last arrestment test points completed during DT-II.The crew of the 737 CATBird avionics testbed flew Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS) approaches to the Ike during DT-II to take full advantage of the carrier availability. The CATBird test team flew with the latest version of the Block 3F software to verify functionality prior to its release to the F-35 test fleet.After completing all 280 flight test points, Dyckman and Sewell launched and then joined up for a formation flyby of Ike before returning home to NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.The large team from the Patuxent River F-35 Integrated Test Force included members from all the various disciplines required for safe and effective test execution onboard the Ike.
The large team from the Patuxent River F-35 Integrated Test Force included members from all the various disciplines required for safe and effective test execution onboard the Ike.

The F-35C Carrier Suitability Test Team deployed aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) for Developmental Test Phase Two (DT-II) in October 2015. Trials with F-35C test aircraft CF-3 and CF-5 spanned nine days in operating areas near the Atlantic coast between Florida and Virginia. DT-II followed a successful round of initial sea trials in 2014.

The team completed sixty-six catapults and traps to expand the gross weight and crosswind operating limits established on USS Nimitz (CVN-68) during DT-I. These tests included catapult launches up to the maximum aircraft gross weight with full internal stores as well as the expanding crosswind limits for launch and recovery. This testing supported the official US Navy aircraft launch and recovery bulletin that is required for fleet F-35C pilots to conduct carrier qualifications in 2016.

Additional testing completed on board the Ike included a variety of Logistics Test and Evaluation, or LT&E, tasks required to prove the F-35C can be maintained and supported above and below deck in the shipboard environment of a Nimitz class carrier. This testing included an engine run and Integrated Power Pack, or IPP, run in the hangar deck, deck spotting, chaining, weapons loading, as well as F135 engine compatibility testing in the ship’s engine shop.

Overall, the test team completed all required test objectives and finished ahead of schedule. . Only one sea trial deployment remains during F-35C development and those sea trials will complete all testing necessary for a full Block 3F fleet operation envelope with internal and external stores. DT-III is planned for the summer of 2016 when the test team again takes CF-3 and CF-5 back to sea for several weeks of testing. This final test phase will primarily focus on expanding the aircraft operating limits with a variety of symmetric and asymmetric external store configurations.

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