By: F35.com (Diary)  |  May 16th at 10:47 AM  | 

On Monday, April 29, an Air Force F-35A performs a weapons separation test with a 4G load factor.

By: F35.com (Diary)  |  April 22nd at 05:53 PM  | 

A post on the Lexington Institute’s Early Warning blog argues that political support for the F-35 program is growing. Recently, previous skeptic Sen. John McCain expressed support, and now General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, gives an enthusiastic endorsement of the program. From the post by Loren Thompson: Now comes additional praise from the nation’s top military officer, Joint Chiefs Chairman | Read More »

By: F35.com (Diary)  |  April 17th at 09:46 AM  | 

An F-35B Lightning II completed the first short takeoff and vertical landing during a test mission at night to expand the flight envelope and deliver capability to the warfighter. Marine Corps test pilot Maj. C.R. Clift conducted the flight April 2 to gather data on the helmet and lighting conditions for night time operations. The test was one of a series of events being conducted | Read More »

By: F35.com (Diary)  |  March 27th at 01:46 PM  | 

On March 21, 2013, the Marine Corps’ first operational F-35B performed its first Short Take Off, Vertical Landing (STOVL) operations at MCAS Yuma, Ariz. Check out the video:

By: F35.com (Diary)  |  March 20th at 01:15 PM  | 

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 19, 2013 – Three Lockheed Martin F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft were officially welcomed by the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. during a commemorative ceremony today. The jets are assigned to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron of the 53rd Test and Evaluation Group. “For more than 50 years, it’s been our privilege | Read More »

By: F35.com (Diary)  |  March 12th at 11:28 AM  | 

Late last month, Time Magazine printed an article about the F-35 program, titled “The Most Expensive Weapon Ever Built“. Critical of the Joint Strike Fighter Program and focusing on the challenges it faces, the article contained several inaccuracies, according to Orlando Carvalho, Vice President and General Manager of the F-35 Program for Lockheed Martin. In a letter to the editor of Time, a truncated version | Read More »

By: F35.com (Diary)  |  February 13th at 02:27 PM  | 

Lockheed has released a video showing highlights from the F-35 Lightning II program in 2012, including production, flight test and deliveries.

By: F35.com (Diary)  |  February 7th at 12:37 PM  | 

Following the recent grounding of the F-35B, the U.S. Marine Corps variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, there has been a lot of criticism of the program. But is cutting or scaling back the program in response to setbacks the best solution? With a fair and accurate assessment of the program and the proposed solutions to some of the problems it faces, the American Security | Read More »

By: F35.com (Diary)  |  January 24th at 10:34 AM  | 

In the Joint Strike Fighter’s latest testing milestone, this photo shows two F-35C Lightning II carrier variant test aircraft refuel together with a Lockheed Martin KC-130 Hercules for the first time, in the sky above Patuxent River, Md. Photo by Lockheed Martin

By: F35.com (Diary)  |  December 19th at 03:01 PM  | 

From the Eglin Air Force Base press release: Following an independent evaluation of Eglin’s capability to conduct F-35A Lightning II pilot training, Air Education and Training Command announced today the 33rd Fighter Wing can do so, starting in January. “The preliminary results provided by the Joint Operational Test Team show the F-35A aircraft and its pilot training and sustainment systems, are robust enough to conduct | Read More »