BAE SYSTEMS CELEBRATES FIRST FLIGHT OF LOCKHEED MARTIN TEAM'S JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER

25 October 2000

The Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) X-35A made its historic and successful first flight marking its entry into the flight-test program and validating the Lockheed Martin design approach. With a greater than one-to-one thrust-to-weight ratio and Pratt & Whitney F119-611 engine, the sleek, supersonic fighter took to the skies from the Lockheed Martin flight test base in Palmdale, California.

"An awesome aircraft," was the way Lockheed Martin X-35 test pilot Tom Morgenfeld described his first flight. "This aircraft looks like a fighter and flies like a fighter. The flight was trouble-free from beginning to end, absolutely no surprises," Morgenfeld continued. "The performance, sheer power and responsiveness were exactly what our engineers predicted. The hours spent training in the simulator were superb preparation. But it's the actual flying that will validate our design and provide the data that will be used for production aircraft to avoid any unexpected problems." Following the X-35's take-off, Morgenfeld put the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) version of the JSF through its paces. The initial flight profile included check-outs of the on-board systems, handling characteristics and down-link connections for the constant stream of critical data-transfer to the flight-test technicians at Palmdale and Edwards Air Force Base.

Lockheed Martin is teamed with BAE SYSTEMS and Northrop Grumman. In addition to its extensive systems integration heritage, the major contribution BAE SYSTEMS brings to the team as a whole is its knowledge and 40 years of experience in STOVL (Short Take-off and Vertical Landing). It also has an intimate association and in depth understanding of the United Kingdom's military operational concepts and deployment practices. The company has a team working at both Fort Worth and the Skunk Works at Palmdale on airframe design and manufacturing, aerodynamics, flight controls and flight test.

"I am extremely proud of our international JSF team," said Dain Hancock, president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. "Our patience and management attention to produce the most affordable and capable JSF has paid off as we head into the flight-test program. I also want to acknowledge the fighter expertise of the entire Lockheed Martin team, which represents more than 70 percent of the world's fighter-industry knowledge base."

"We are delighted that the first flight was successful", said Chris Boardman, BAE SYSTEMS Managing Director of JSF. "It opens a new era in military aviation by bringing together the world's premier combat aircraft team of Lockheed Martin, BAE SYSTEMS, Northrop Grumman and achieves an important milestone in ensuring that we are in a position to submit a winning proposal for the next phase".

The first flight included significant portions of the flight-test profile. "This was not just a ferry flight from one airport to another," Morgenfeld explained. "We flew some important test points and made this a working flight-test activity."

The X-35 climbed quickly to an altitude of 10,000ft, maintained an airspeed of 250 knots while accomplishing a series of figure-eight manoeuvres to demonstrate key handling qualities and to validate design predictions. "Our design approach to solve the significant technical risk challenges now in the Concept Demonstration Phase, when it's less expensive, is already paying off," said Frank Cappuccio, Vice President and Program Manager of the Lockheed Martin JSF. "Technical challenges overcome now with our X-35 demonstration aircraft ensure a more affordable next phase: Engineering and Manufacturing Development. It's been our objective from day one." Designed to demonstrate commonality among the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps variants, Lockheed Martin's concept demonstration phase will use the same aircraft seen flying today to demonstrate the Marine Corps variant's short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) JSF. Following this successful flight of the CTOL aircraft, the next aircraft to fly will be the CV (Carrier Variant) which will fly later in the year. Furthermore, after the X-35A fulfills its flight test requirements, we the aircraft which has flown today/yesterday will have a lift fan installed, a flexible nozzle on the tail, vertical-lift equipment activated and bring that aircraft back to the flight-test program as the STOVL version. Now, that's commonality in action.

"This successful first flight is the culmination of what has been a truly integrated team effort involving not only the principle teammates but our extensive supplier base as well", said Martin Taylor, Project Director JSF, BAE SYSTEMS based in Fort Worth.

Lockheed Martin, in partnership with BAE SYSTEMS and Northrop Grumman, is in competition to build the JSF for the United States and Great Britain. Government selection of a single contractor for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase is set for 2001.

For further information, please contact:

Julia Sevin BAE SYSTEMS Tel: +44 1772 852714 Fax: +44 1772 854289
Email: julia.sevin@baesystems.com 

Mark Douglas Lockheed Martin Tel: +44 (0)20 7798 2850
Email: mark.douglas@lmco.com