First UK Pilot To Fly The Carrier Variant Of The F-35
On February 21, Royal Air Force (RAF) Squadron Leader Jim
Schofield became the United Kingdom’s first military test
pilot to fly the F-35C, the carrier variant of the Lightning II
Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft. Schofield’s flight is
the latest in a series of milestones for the UK’s Joint
Combat Aircraft program, which included the first F-35C launch on
the test electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) on November
18, 2011, and the rollout of the first UK F-35 from the production
line four days later. EMALS is the current launching system of
record for the future HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier,
currently under construction.
File Photo
“The F-35 has the best handling of any jet I’ve
flown, which means it’s going to be easier to land on a ship
than current aircraft, and pilots can devote all of their attention
to the mission,” Schofield said. “Combined with the
world’s best sensors which allow the pilot to find and target
anything that’s out there, and a stealthy signature, which
means the enemy can’t do the same to you, this is exactly the
aircraft the UK needs to provide the best protection for our
soldiers, sailors and airmen for the next 35 years.”
“This is another major step forward for the UK’s
Joint Combat Aircraft program,” said Group Captain Harv
Smyth, the UK’s JSF national deputy. “Squadron Leader
Schofield is now test-flying both the [short takeoff and vertical
landing] and carrier variants of the F-35, which affords the UK
unprecedented early learning regarding this 5th-generation air
system. This is a very exciting period for JCA, as not only are we
now testing both the B and the C variants, but we look forward to
taking delivery of our first production F-35 aircraft later this
year.”
As an international program, the F-35 has eight cooperative
partners working with the United States; the United Kingdom was the
first country to join the program in January 2001. According to the
RAF’s website, the F-35 employed as the Joint Combat Aircraft
in UK forces will offer many advantages over legacy platforms: low
observability, supersonic flight, improved survivability, internal
and external weapons carriage, increased range and easier supply
and maintenance.
The F-35C carrier variant of JSF is distinct from the F-35A and
F-35B variants, with its larger wing surfaces and reinforced
landing gear to withstand catapult launches and deck landing
impacts associated with the demanding aircraft carrier environment.
The F-35C is undergoing test and evaluation at Naval Air Station
Patuxent River prior to delivery to the fleet and international
partners.