F-35B supersonic jet's first mid-air hover (video)
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted March 18th 2010 9:41AM
posted March 18th 2010 9:41AM
VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) is no great shakes in a wargadget these days -- and a craft like the F-35B, with its short-take off and vertical-landing capabilities might be even less shocking -- but jets that stop whatever they're doing mid-air to just hover awhile? That's another story entirely. The $83 million-plus, supersonic stealth jet did just that yesterday, according to Lockheed Martin. The flight began with a conventional takeoff and the aircraft hit about 200 knots before the pilot switched her into STOVL, culminating in a zero airspeed hover 150 feet above the runway. This is the first "mid-air hover" by the aircraft, and if development continues at the pace most of these programs do it should see active service sometime around Engadget's 25th birthday. Video after the break.
@krosref
Do you people realize how MUCH we're all paying for something that replaces a generation of equipment that was and IS more effective than anything? These are nearly 100 MILLION dollar per aircraft. How can no one here recognize how SHAMEFUL our military spending is?
@TrumanHW
The worst part is how impotent this type of thing is in the modern wars the United States is engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This isn't the Cold War, folks. The other guys aren't rocking MIGs and Mi-24s. The Top Gun days are over.
Truman & David, totally agree with both of you. Blowing $100 Million on weapons to fight guys with machine guns seems to be okay while people starve, lose their homes and can't afford healthcare. A twisted place we live in...with some even more twisted people in charge...
@David V Sure, right now they're a little overkill. Wait a few years until N. Korea or China gets a wild hair up their ass.
As a 12 year ex-USAF vet, I was glad to see them cancel the F-22 and wish they would do the same with the F-35. I love the tech, and can appreciate the genius that goes into them, but they are old school. The future is low cost remote control drones. If you need something with a pilot in the cockpit, the current old stuff we have is more than sufficient.
@sporkinum Due will all respect, I disagree with you about canceling the F-22. We do have a lot of old plans can do the job, BUT, they're all OLD, airframe's are approaching design life limit, and we ain't got any new built ones. Wait till all the planes crack down before even reaching enemy territory, or even if we do reach the, they're gonna get shoot down by the new russian and chinese S-300/S-400 SAM's
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/03/navy_hornets_grounding_031210w/
F-35's stealth ability is all limited to forward X-band radar, very limited weapon storage, basically means it can't do shit without compromising stealth and maneuverability by hanging weapons on the wing pylons.
http://www.ausairpower.net/APA-NOTAM-190209-1.html
Plus the whole program is poorly managed, seriously delayed, seriously cost breach gonna trigger Nunn-McCurdy.
You say we don't need more way capable F22's?
Screw Robert Gates that pussy from CIA that knows S*** about air power
@David V
cause all you can see is the things in front of you. Are you saying we will never have an encounter with the Russians and Chinese in the future? Oh wow.
The war in Afgan/Iraq, all we need is the legacy airframes(but they are getting old and soon gonna cripple)
We can't stop developing new stuff to deterrence future adversaries can we thing there is non, urn less you tell them stop making new weapons too? WAKE UP, dude, SEE the reality by yourself. Hey did you see the Russian T-50 PAK-FA?
Finally catching up to Die Hard 4.
@mattcoz
That's what I thought.
That's bull, I can see the strings! :)
Do the weapons systems function in a hover?
supersonic? pfff it cant it hover at the speed of sound...
2nd thought lol i guess it can near equator
In about 5 minutes the f-35 is going to do a vertical takeoff, test flight, and vertical landing
I'm lucky, I get to see that aircraft almost everyday. I am a air traffic controller at NAS PAX RIVER, were the testing is being done.
Can this thing be outfitted with Nukes?
A supersonic stealth with Nukes that can hover for an extended period of time relatively undetected ?
MUHAHAHA.
Dr. Evil is jealous.
Damn. Makes me want to bomb some children.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9QpDw9-li8
This video is better....and it has techno music!
I was hoping the video would show it going from one state (supersonic) to the other (stationary). As is, it's pretty unimpressive.
Cool!
Perhaps you missed the first hover flight in July, 2001, nearly ten years ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KZFztq51BU
That'll make the Marine Corps happy, as they're going to be the primary customer of the F-35B. Semper Fi!
@excaliburca
But the Navy and airfare is gonna cry like a baby. Check the price tag and you'll see.
OMG everyone looks at this and goes o look mw2 harrier
This airplane is developing absurdly slow. Lockheed gambled on a design which provides neither a big leap in technology or reliability. it is a Kludge that is unnecessary, expensive and will prove to be unreliable.
@adamwho plus it's a plane that can't do s*** with a crazy price tag claiming that it's STEALTHY but in reality it's still gonna get shot down by Russian/Chinese advanced S300/S400 sams
Hard to believe Lockheed's metal turkey won over an even uglier Boeing prototype.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-32
This is totally not their first public flight. I saw an f-35b with a chase plane messing around I-565 near redstone arsenal about 8 monts ago.
I have been doing this in BF2 for the past 3 years =P
I didn't see in the video, but can it start flying when it is hovering? Like, just take off in mid air?
@mannyftw the nozzle switches back from the vertical position to the normal position and slowly gains speed in mid air. Same thing done with Harriers. GO check youtube
read this before you made any judgements saying this a nice plane
@thirteenguy
http://www.ausairpower.net/APA-NOTAM-030309-1.html
I know I have seen the prototype for this do a Vertical takeoff go to supersonic speeds and then hover and land. Not sure why this is real news.
One of the reasons why Lockheed won the contract was their new idea to power the downdraft fan blowing cold air downward as their were many accidents because the hot air that would get sucked back into the engines would cause a loss in power.
This was in the Frontline/Nova program on the competition.
Ok,
To see an explanation of the Harrier's issues go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kNszWU7hTw 1:31:30-1:40:00
To see the Lockheed plane take off in 500 feet, goes supersonic and then lands vertically:
go to 1:46:00
They try to do Vertical takeoff, supersonic and then Vertical Landing,
but it was too windy.