Marine Corps test plane makes first vertical landing

The Marine Corps version of the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft has performed its first vertical landing, officials for Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington, D.C., announced Thursday.

The BF-1 test plane for the F-35B STOVL, or short take-off vertical landing variant of the newest plane in the U.S. military arsenal, rode more than 41,000 pounds of thrust to a vertical landing for the first time, Lt. Gen. George J. Trautman III, deputy commander for aviation, said in a release following the event.

“Having the F-35B perform its first vertical landing underscores the reality of the Marine Corps achieving its goal of an all STOVL force,” Trautman said of the event that confirmed the aircraft’s ability to land in a confined area both ashore and afloat.

The STOVL F-35B Lightning II is scheduled to ultimately replace three different Marine Corps combat aircraft — the F/A-18 Hornet, AV-8B Harrier and EA-6B Prowler. The multi-role fighter is thought to have significant advantages over the Marine Corps’ current tactical fixed-wing squadrons that can amplify strategic agility, enhance operational flexibility and capabilities, allow basing options ashore and afloat, and reduce aviation training and maintenance costs.

BF-1 lifted off at 80 knots, using less than 1,000 feet of runway from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., at 1:09 p.m., Trautman reported.

About 13 minutes into the flight, the pilot positioned the aircraft 150 feet above the airfield, where he brought the F-35 to a hover and then descended to the runway, he said. BF-1 is one of three F-35B STOVL jets currently undergoing flight trials at the Patuxent River test site.

Cherry Point air station is being considered as one of the bases for the new aircraft and a tentative decision on how many squadrons that might bring here is expected as early as May. No F-35B squadrons are anticipated here before 2015 and, with recent announcements of delays and cost increases, it could be later.

Aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin reported to Congress last week that its estimated cost for the plane has increased more than 60 percent to somewhere between $95 million and $113 million each. As a result, the Defense Department may not be able to buy as many of the 2,443 planes for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps as originally hoped.

The Marine Corps is standing up its training squadron April 2 to work with Air Force and Navy pilots at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

Marine Corps officials say work being done at Patuxent River will enable them to start training Marine pilots and maintainers during the fall of 2010 and they anticipate reaching JSF F-35B initial operational capability in December 2012. 

The initial capacity includes an F-35B training squadron of 15 aircraft in new training squadron VMFAT-501 at Eglin, and an operational test and evaluation detachment of four aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, the Corps’ first operational squadron of 10 aircraft at MCAS Yuma.

Fleet Readiness Center East has been designated as the repair and rework facility for the Marine and Navy versions of the plane and FRC-East Commander Col. C.S. Loch said last week that the workload is expected to keep the skilled workforce of about 3,500 with a continuing workload as older models are retired.

FRC-East is a vertical lift repair center and does work on the V-22 Osprey and is the largest civilian employer in North Carolina east of I-95. 

Sue Book can be reached at 252-635-5666 or sbook@freedomenc.com.