F-35 JSF’s Final
Shape Validates Concept-Demonstration Goals
22 July 2002
FARNBOROUGH,
England
– Engineers have finalized the external
design of the
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, with
the resulting configuration nearly indistinguishable from the
X-35 JSF demonstrator that underwent flight-testing in 2000 and
2001. Design changes – though small – will bring overall
performance gains to the stealthy fighter.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., a
business area of Lockheed Martin Corp. [NYSE:LMT], is developing
the F-35 in conjunction with principal partners Northrop Grumman
and BAE SYSTEMS.
The F-35 “lines freeze” milestone
was achieved, as scheduled, on
June 27, 2002
. The design has been evolving incrementally
since the configuration that flew as the X-35 demonstrator.
Finalized changes include:
∑ Extending
the forward fuselage by 5 inches to better accommodate avionics
and sensors, and moving the horizontal tail rearward by 2 inches
to maintain stability-and-control with the newly extended
forward fuselage.
∑ Raising by
about 1 inch the top surface of the aircraft along the
centerline, increasing fuel capacity by 300 pounds and extending
range.
∑ Adding
slightly more twist to the wing camber on the CV
(aircraft-carrier version) to improve both handling qualities
and transonic performance.
∑ Adjusting
the positioning of the vertical tails slightly to improve
aerodynamic performance.
Earlier in the design phase,
engineers also reduced the
length of the engine inlet ducts, saving weight and improving
performance.
“During the Concept Demonstration
phase of this program, we believed the only way to validate the
aerodynamic performance of our concept was to test-fly an
aircraft that was representative of the one we intended to
produce,” said Tom Burbage, Lockheed Martin executive vice
president and JSF program general manager. “When you look at
this final design and compare it to the one we flew, it’s clear
that the two aircraft are essentially identical, save for some
fine-tuning. That means the outstanding performance of our X-35
JSF concept demonstration aircraft can also be expected of our
production model, the F-35.”
John Fuller, vice president of Air
Vehicle for the F-35 JSF program, added, “Lines freeze was a
challenging milestone, and we achieved it relatively early in
the program. This now allows us to reduce the risk for
structural loads development before we face the next major
program milestone next March, Preliminary Design Review.”
The next-generation F-35 is a
stealthy (radar-evading), supersonic multirole fighter designed
to meet the
U.S.
government's requirements for a new
generation of transformational weapons. The single-engine JSF
will be manufactured in three versions: a
conventional-takeoff-and-landing (CTOL) variant for the U.S. Air
Force, an aircraft-carrier version for the U.S. Navy and a
short-takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) version for the U.S.
Marine Corps.
The cornerstone of the F-35 is
affordability, achieved in large part through a very high level
of common parts and systems across the three versions of the
aircraft.
The F-35 is designed to replace
aging fighter inventories, including U.S. Air Force A-10s and
F-16s, U.S. Navy F/A-18s, U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers and
F/A-18s, and United Kingdom Harrier GR.7s and Sea Harriers.
Pratt & Whitney and General
Electric are developing two separate but interchangeable
propulsion systems.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co.,
headquartered in
Fort Worth
, Texas
, is a leader in the design, development, systems
integration, production, and support of advanced military
aircraft and related technologies. Its customers include the
military services of the
United States
and allied countries throughout the world.
Products include the F-16, F-22, F-35 JSF, F-117, T-50, C-5,
C-130, C-130J, P-3, S-3 and U-2.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. is
a unit of Lockheed Martin Corp., headquartered in
Bethesda
, Md.
Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise
principally engaged in the research, design, development,
manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems,
products and services. Employing about 125,000 people
worldwide, Lockheed Martin had 2001 sales of $24 billion.
# # #
For information on Lockheed Martin Corporation, visit:
http://www.lockheedmartin.com
For information on Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, visit:
http://www.lmaeronautics.com
ContactS:
Mary Jo
Polidore
Farnborough Chalet
011 44 0787 0246178
Fort Worth,
Texas USA
817-777-6736
Sam Grizzle
011 44 0787 0246354
Peter Simmons
011 44 0787 0246209
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