Programs

Durability Testing Completed

Posted 5 November 2015
TAGS:
Photo by Angel DelCueto

Lockheed Martin announced on 2 November 2015 that the F-16C Block 50 had been tested to 27,713 Equivalent Flight Hours during thirty-two rounds of comprehensive stress tests at the company’s Full Scale Durability Test facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The airframe was then subjected to several maximum-load conditions to demonstrate that the airframe still had sufficient strength to operate within its full operational flight envelope. The airframe will now undergo teardown and fractography inspection, which is expected to take several months. Test data, collected over nearly two years, will be used to identify an extended, definitive flight hour limit for the F-16 and demonstrate the safety and durability of the aircraft well beyond its original design service life of 8,000 flight hours.

Comments
 
View All Articles Eric Hehs Retires
2/23/2016
Longtime Code One Editor Eric Hehs Calls It A Career
1/29/2016
The F-35 Carrier Suitability Test Team deploys two F-35Cs aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) for DT-II. F-35 Flight Control System, Part One
12/9/2015
In this first of a two-part article, Lockheed Martin test pilot Dan Canin discusses fly-by-wire, generally, and focuses on some features of the F-35’s control laws from a pilot’s perspective. UK F-35 Operational Testing
10/27/2015
No 17(R) Test and Evaluation Squadron is the United Kingdom's premier unit for developing and realizing the potential of the Lightning II. F-16 Tests Developed F-35 Inlet
10/14/2015
The unassuming fuselage bump performs miracles that only aeronautical engineers fully appreciate. How To Distinguish One F-35 Variant From The Others
9/15/2015
Distinguishing one F-35 variant from another can be confusing. The A, B, and C models, after all, look similar. Here are some tips. F-35 Operations At Luke AFB, Arizona
8/5/2015
Eventually, the 56th Wing at Luke AFB will have six F-35 training squadrons flying 144 F-35s. F-35B Pilot Training
5/23/2015
Marine Corps F-35B pilot training is up and running at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina Defining Fifth Generation Fighters
5/21/2015
The fifth generation of fighters, the F-22 and F-35, fundamentally changes the concept of operations for combat. More Than Just Pretty Photos
4/9/2015
This particular series of refueling missions in near-dark conditions was to flight test a new prototype refueling probe light.
View All News First Transatlantic Crossing
2/8/2016
First Intercontinental F-35 Flight First F-35A Delivered Outside The US
12/12/2015
First F-35A Delivered To Italian Air Force X-35C Moves
12/1/2015
Navy F-35 Demonstrator Displayed Inside Pax Museum How To Celebrate A Birthday
11/10/2015
First Norwegian F-35As Delivered; Pilot First Flight Gun’s Hot
11/2/2015
Frist Airborne Firing Of The F-35A Internal Gun First Pipeline Aviator
10/28/2015
Newly Minted Marine Pilot To Fly F-35B DT-II Complete
10/16/2015
Second Phase Of F-35C Development Testing Concludes Hill Formal Ceremony
10/15/2015
F-35A Welcomed To Utah Norway F-35 First Flight
10/7/2015
Norway's F-35 Flown Lightning On The Ike
10/5/2015
F-35C DT-II Begins
View All Videos F-35C DT-2 Aboard USS Eisenhower (CVN-69)
US Navy F-35A First Flight In Italy
Liz Kaszynski F-35 Operations At Luke AFB
Matthew Short and Liz Kaszynski F-35 Climatic Testing
F-35 Pro Bowl Flyover
First F-35C Lightning II Carrier Landing
US Navy F-35 Program Video Update
"With The Gear" Meets F-35
Video by US Marine Corps Wet Runway And Crosswind Testing
Australian F-35 Roll Out Ceremony
View All Photos F-35B OT-1 Testing F-35B OT-1 Launch Red, White, And Blue F-16 Photo Chase F-35 Line Up At Luke F-35s Nose On F-35B Refueling With Weapons Top View F-35 Taking Off From NAS Fort Worth JRB F-35s Fly With F-16 At Luke F-35 With Flare