F-35 completes record breaking weapons tests
The F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF) at Edwards Air Force Base, California, recently completed 25 missions comprising of 12 Weapons Delivery Accuracy (WDA) and 13 Weapon Separation Tests as part of a month-long weapons firing test surge.
Above:
An F-35 test pilot
— Major Douglas ‘Rosie’ Rosenstock
— live fires an AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) above the Point Mugu Sea Test Range, California. This weapons test was one in a series of tests performed with the F35’s latest 3F software. Over the 31 calendar day 'surge' period, the team accomplished 30 weapon releases (live fires and separations).
Lockheed Martin photo by Darin Russell © All rights reserved
Historically, WDAs take place once a month given the myriad of coordination required. The highest number previously accomplished in a month, was three in November of 2014 during 2B software testing.
These successful test events — performed using the F-35’s newest block 3F software — demonstrated the accuracy of the F-35’s. Five of the test events featured dropping multiple weapons. The F-35 weapons test team was given exclusive use of the Sea Test Range, an instrumented Pacific Ocean test area off the central coast near Point Mugu Naval Air Station, California. Tests were also conducted at the US Navy’s China Lake Weapons Range, California and the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.
During this unprecedented surge period, a total of 30 weapons were dropped or fired, including the Joint Direct Attack Munition, AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile, GPS-guided 250-pound Small Diameter Bomb, AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air heat-seeking missile and GPS/laser-guided munition.
“The WDAs rely on the full capability of the F-35 — multiple sensors, navigation, weapons envelope, mission planning, data links and inter-agency range scheduling — all working in sequence to put steel on target,” said Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, F-35 Program Executive Officer. “This was a tremendous effort by the F-35 test team. They surged and worked seven days a week for more than a month to expend 30 ordnance and advance weapons testing. This testing has moved us that much closer to delivering the full F-35 capability to warfighters within the next two years.”