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23 February: X-35B Begins Hover Pit Testing
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The short-takeoff/vertical-landing version of the X-35 powered its propulsion system on a specially designed hover pit to mark the first step in the STOVL portion of the flight test program. The X-35B is designed to demonstrate JSF requirements specified by the US Marine Corps and the Royal Navy/Royal Air Force. During hover pit tests, the airplane is fixed atop a ground-level metal grate over the hover pit—a large rectangular basin with special ducting that pulls away the propulsion system’s downward rush of air and engine exhaust. Inside the X-35B cockpit, BAE test pilot Simon Hargreaves, a veteran Harrier pilot, will put the propulsion system through every operation it will encounter during actual flight. Sensors determine if the aircraft’s flight control system is generating a proper mix of control forces from the propulsion system. |
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