F-35C Sea Trials

摘要

The Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is likely to begin sea trials on an aircraft carrier by early 2014, according to Steve O'Bryan, the manufacturer's vice president for F-35 business development. In a briefing given to reporters on June 19 at the company's facility in Arlington, Virginia, O'Bryan said Lockheed Martin has devised a solution to problems with the aircraft's tail hook that should enable the F-35C to complete trials well before the aircraft enters navy squadron service. He said the distance between the F-35C's main landing gear wheels and the tail hook is relatively short. As the wheels roll over the arresting wire, they briefly pin it to the carrier deck. The wire has little time to return to its position slightly above the deck before the tail hook attempts to engage it, so the hook's point needs to be flush to avoid a 'hook-skip' - where the hook bounces over the arresting wire. The hook point also needs to be sharp enough to scoop up the wire, but not so sharp that it spears instead of hooking it.