Full Scale Aircraft Drop Test Program for the F-35C Carrier Variant

摘要

The Lockheed Martin F-3S Lightning ( is a three variant family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather, stealth multirole fighter aircraft currently in production for multiple US armed services and partner countries. The F-35C is the carrier variant design of the three variant family. Drop testing of a full scale structurally complete aircraft is required for verifying compliance with the US Navy structural integrity and flight certification requirements for the F-3SC carrier variant aircraft. The US Navy also requires a full scale drop test prior to clearing the aircraft to conduct high sink rate landings in flight test. The drop test program consisted of simulated shipboard landings for a variety of design touchdown conditions at specified aircraft attitudes, sink rates, and aircraft store configurations. The test objectives were to: (1) verify that structural integrity and functional design requirements for shipboard landing impacts have been met; and (2) collect loads and dynamics response data for correlation with analytical predictions. The F-35C drop test program successfully completed a total of 47 simulated shipboard landings without any structural failures and with good correlation between measured and predicted loads. The drop test results were used to clear the F-35C aircraft for shore-based carrier suitability flight testing and initial shipboard trials.