Published on Aug 19, 2016
F-35C Carrier Variants of the Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter conduct flight operations aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) on August 14, 2016. The F-35C is going through its third and final developmental test phase (DT-III) and starting carrier qualifications. The F-35C is expected to be Fleet operational in 2018. Units - Salty Dogs of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX-23) and Grim Reapers of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA-101).
BeachAV8R
Does it takeoff in afterburner when cat launching?
Probably? Especially if it’s carrying a lot of ordnance.
Looks like they are pretty light for these run ups without much fuel and no weapons, maybe the cat does all the work? It certainly seemed to hardly compress much on landing either.
At 7:38 you can see what I assume is the cat pressure set to 43000, so that might indicate something like that. Not sure.
Are the JBD’s rated for the F-35? I know the B model has a reputation for melting all of the surfaces in AB.
Wonder what the thing in the prism under the nose is. Some sort of IRST or something? I noticed in one cat shot it was sweeping back and forth already…and in another it was not.
Yeah, I wondered that as well. It’s the EOTS targeting gizmo here:
http://www.lockheedmartin.ca/us/products/F-35LightningIIEOTS.html
My takeaway…I’m glad it’s affordable…!
The Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) for the F-35 Lightning II is an affordable, high-performance, lightweight, multi-function system that provides precision air-to-air and air-to-surface targeting capability. The low-drag, stealthy EOTS is integrated into the F-35 Lightning II’s fuselage with a durable sapphire window and is linked to the aircraft’s integrated central computer through a high-speed fiber-optic interface.
I was hoping this was Lincoln Financial Field and that the Marines were going to put me out of my misery early this season…
The durable sapphire windows make it too inexpensive not to buy. Let’s get two!
That’s takeoff weight. The pilot will verify that and it’ll get dialed in by the guys in catapult control (the retractable booth between the bow cats).
Some great information on the recent F-35 carrier quals (from the video above I believe) that gives a bit of insight into what they were doing. Interesting to read about the DT-III landing software that is going to be ported over to the Hornets…
Some ugly weather ops…the slow mo video ends after that first trap…then you get to see better footage…
The window right above it is part of the missile approach warning system 
I just noticed in that footage…there are actually five arresting cable stations on that deck, with only three “strung” for cables. It looks like in both of those traps they snagged the #2 wire - is that the new target for the F-35C - I always thought the OK-3 Wire was the Holy Grail…?
For the majority of the jet age, there were four evenly inter spaced wires, basically the Forestalls through the the late model Nimitz class boats. With the later ships (beginning with either Bush or Reagan, I think), they began using a system with three primary wires, and the intended optimal trap being wire #2. There is then an additional wire(s) that if I had to guess are there to catch any hook skipping. I’m curious because the ship in that video is the Eisenhower, which is the second oldest of the Nimitz class, implying it’s been retrofitted onto the older ships.
You’d have to bug @Navynuke99 for details/actual facts because I am admittedly speaking out of my posterior on why the change occurred.
Reagan was the first to get the new system- we joked when we were in the yards that Newport News forgot to save space for the last arresting gear engine, and just sold the Navy on how the new system was going to be better, and even more expensive. At the time I was aboard, the layout was still the same with the third wire being the target for landing, there just wasn’t a 4 wire- I believe part of it also had to do with the fact the landing area was angled a bit more than the standard Nimitz-class, and being able to land planes on the angled deck at the same time they were launching from the Bow cats- normally, you’d have to move and respot aircraft when going from launching to landing. At least, that was how it was explained to us in our ESWS classes.
I’m racking my brain trying to clear the cobwebs of 13 years to remember the exact purpose for the 3A arresting wire though… I’ll email an old ABE buddy of mine a bit later.
Can’t speak to the Ike, as my only interactions with her were thanking my lucky stars I wasn’t stationed aboard her.
LOL…good observation…probably a valid too…