F-35 Stealth Testing Done In Italy; First Foreign Flight: Video

F-35 Stealth Testing Done In Italy; First Foreign Flight: Video

To all the people saying that this plane is crap.

Here we have the first foreign build and flight of an F-35 in Italy.

The article goes on to say that, besides flight capability, they also tested stealth capability.

All in all very cool and goes to show how far the project has come along.

WASHINGTON: The first F-35A built in Italy for the Italian Air Force took off yesterday for what the Lockheed Martin test pilot said was highly successful first flight.

“It was identical to every other airplane we produce at Fort Worth,” pilot Bill Gigliotti told reporters today in what he clearly intended as a compliment to the Italians, whose facility at Cameri Air Base built and tested the plane.

The test flight ticked another first for the program: first F-35 flight outside the United States.

a reply to: grey580

As with the Osprey craft, this overly-complicated and very expensive machine will show its true worth (read as "expense") as the wreckage piles up, and I assume that will be before either craft ever get into battle. The shuttle should have been lesson enough.

a reply to: Aliensun

Way to jump the gun.

a reply to: Aliensun

Right, because they've had so many accidents so far in testing.

From 1991 to 2012 there have been a whopping 7 crashes of V-22s. Three were a direct result of pilot error, and a fourth that was a contributing factor.

Yep, that's certainly a disaster waiting to happen.

a reply to: Aliensun

I think you've got the definitions of success and failure all mixed up.

On a positive note, I love the way that jet sounds taxiing out of that hangar.

This aircraft was designated AL-1. It's supposed to fly again today.

AL-1 and AL-2, which will fly in October, will be the first F-35s to cross the Atlantic early in 2016. The first five aircraft from this facility will come to Luke AFB to be used for pilot training starting in 2016.

The Italian Air Force had a KC-767 at Edwards AFB in July being certified to refuel the F-35s. It will be used to ferry them when the time comes for them to make the move.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I can kind of see Aliensun's point of view because it does look very fragile. However, I always thought the point of this aircraft was to be undetectable and deadly. Therefore, fragility is meaningless.

As an amateur, am I about right?

a reply to: Wide-Eyes

Yes. It's designed to be a day one bomb truck and slip through defenses and hit targets other aircraft can't, like the F-117s did in Iraq in 1991.

It's not completely undetectable, no stealth is, but by the time you detect it you're in range of its weapons already.

a reply to: Wide-Eyes

I don't think this aircraft is any more fragile than any other fighter aircraft. It looks beefy compared to an f-16 or f/a-18. It's goal is definitely to engage its target before the target even knows it's there but it's still a combat capable aircraft with all the necessary reinforcement.

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes
a reply to: Zaphod58

I can kind of see Aliensun's point of view because it does look very fragile. However, I always thought the point of this aircraft was to be undetectable and deadly. Therefore, fragility is meaningless.

As an amateur, am I about right?

F-35 is in no way fragile. The static testing at Brough (BAE UK) was a complete success with the airframe passing all structural tests on the static stands, these include integrity tests to over %150 of design spec and simulations at around 14g.

It's also very stealthy and has excellent BVR, BTH and EW capabilities.

It's a very capable aircraft.

Cheers
Robbie

a reply to: stratsys-sws

Wow, that's impressive. Thanks for the info. 👍

a reply to: Wide-Eyes

The wing test is one of my favorites. When Boeing did the strength test on the 787, the wingtip flexed up a total of 25 feet to reach the 150%.

a reply to: Zaphod58

If I was in a plane and witnessed that, I would sh#t myself.

a reply to: Wide-Eyes

When they push it to snapping is even better. I could hear the boom from a couple miles away when I lived near Paine field.

Why did Italy get a Final Assembly line? They serve wine on their lunch breaks in those factories.

RAF banned us from the Lightning Club (pub on site at BAE Warton) if we worked on their Aircraft and yet in Italy there was wine on tap at lunch.

I suppose though, North West England mentality in the club was to try and drink 3 pints in 42 minutes (lunch time) whereas the Italians would have a small glass of wine....

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Wide-Eyes

The wing test is one of my favorites. When Boeing did the strength test on the 787, the wingtip flexed up a total of 25 feet to reach the 150%.

I regularly fly on a Virgin 787 to Boston, that wing flex is awesome, in fact the whole aircraft is awesome. It's always an impressive sight, looking out of your window and having to look up ten feet to the wing tip! Makes for a smmmooooth ride.

Cheers
Robbie

originally posted by: Aliensun
a reply to: grey580

As with the Osprey craft, this overly-complicated and very expensive machine will show its true worth (read as "expense") as the wreckage piles up, and I assume that will be before either craft ever get into battle. The shuttle should have been lesson enough.

Going with your logic, we shouldn't design any hi-tech birds? IMO, I think its great that we are pushing the boundaries of what we can design and create. Without that, we would be behind Iran in Air and Sea defenses.. lol.

Gotta risk it to get the biscuit!