Joint Strike Fighter passes important test

The Marine Corps version of the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft performed its first vertical landing in testing this week in Maryland, according to a Marine Corps release.

The BF-1 test plane for the F-35B STOVL, or short take-off vertical landing, confirmed the jet’s ability to land in small areas both on land and on ships at sea.

“Having the F-35B perform its first vertical landing underscores the reality of the Marine Corps achieving its goal of an all STOVL force,” Lt. Gen. George J. Trautman III, deputy commander for aviation, said in a statement.

The jet is expected to replace the AV-8B Harrier, EA-6B Prowler and F/A-18 Hornet in the Marine Corps arsenal.

Cherry Point is being considered as a home base for the new Joint Strike Fighter, with as many as 11 or as few as two squadrons scheduled to arrive at the base possibly as early as 2015. However, an exact timetable for the arrival of the jets has not been set.

The Navy is working on an environmental study to determine the placement of 13 East Coast JSF squadrons that are to be divided among Cherry Point and Beaufort, S.C. That study is expected to be released this spring, possibly in May.

The test flight took place at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., with the pilot using less than 1,000 feet of runway to lift the aircraft into the air, according to the release. About 13 minutes into the flight, the pilot flew the aircraft to a point 150 feet above the runway, hovered and then landed.

The test was another step toward officially adding the jet to the Marine Corps arsenal. Marine Fighter/Attack Training Squadron 501 will activate on April 2 at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida where the first F-35B pilots and maintenance crews are expected to begin work on the new jet by the fall of this year, according to the release.

The goal is for the jets to become operational in the Marine Corps in December of 2012, with the first squadron based at Yuma, Ariz., according to the release.

The new jet is expected to carry more ordnance than the F/A-18 and possess electronic warfare technology similar to the Prowler while operating with expeditionary units with short take-off and vertical landings similar to the Harrier, according to the release.

Marine Corps officials also say the new jet will help reduce maintenance and training costs, and enhance operational capability and flexibility, according to the release.