Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. WOW !!!

[osdmike]

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Ki86x1WKPmE&feature=colike

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[moreHP]

Thats pretty interesting. I had not seen how those take off and land before. Good stuff there.

[Scott Parkhurst]

No catch cables or catapults required. Pretty impressive!

[car_designer]

Very interesting.

[HarleyR]

I always thought it would be cool to work on a carrier deck....

[CarlC]

If that aircraft proves to be cost effective and is made in the numbers expected it will revolutionize naval aviation.

There is a documentary on the prototype testing of the Lockheed and Boeing aircraft while competing for the contract, and it's great to watch. The prototype Lockheed aircraft took off vertically and broke the sound barrier the day before the choice was final, while the Boeing plane could do neither even when lightened up.

It's amazing technology, and has finally come-of-age with the computer control systems and fly-by-wire technologies that can make it work safely.

[MrQuick]

and i read that it has a much smaller heat signature than the Harrier. Amazing stuff.

[mc84_zz4]

Those can also be hidden in odd terrain without an airfield.
A very cool piece of engineering.

[UNGN]

The full "down elevator" on takeoff is what amazes me from the videos. The pilot isn't flying the plane, the computers are.

The pilot is probably pulling back on the stick to climb out, and yet the plane has full down elevator.

[Chevrolaine]

Wow.

[austin552]

http://youtu.be/mSMNOaZVFaA

[CreepinDeth]

The STOVL , it's been out for awhile but not into the fleet yet IIRC.

There's some major issues with development and testing and now Terabytes of data on the plane was stolen.
I do believe that Lockheed Martin is possibly outsourcing too much and the MASSIVE amounts of data stolen
probably went to the Chinese Govt to learn how to disable them.

This is a huge threat to the program......and another reason why too much technology can often be a curse.
Revisions to the aircraft are now being redesigned as a result of the cyber attack and loss of Secret data.
K.I.S.S.


On 21 April 2009, media reports, citing Pentagon sources, said that during 2007 and 2008, computer spies had managed to copy and siphon off several terabytes of data related to the F-35's design and electronics systems, potentially enabling the development of defense systems against the aircraft.[46] However, Lockheed Martin has rejected suggestions that the project has been compromised, saying that it "does not believe any classified information had been stolen".[47] However other sources have suggested that the incident caused a redesign of the aircraft's hardware and software to be more resistant to cyber attack

[Twentyover]

And if the takeover and subsequent safe landing of an unmanned drone in Iran is to be believed, cyber security on these aircraft will be paramount. I guess I'm not expecting Lockheed to say, "Yeah, we had a cyber attack and now our billion dollar fighter is helpless against a well equipped Piper Cub"