U-2 Dragon Lady Today
26 August 2014
Thirty-four U-2s are flying today. Most were built in the 1980s as TR-1s though a few are U-2Rs built in the late 1960s. All of these aircraft were re-designated U-2S in 1999, with two exceptions. The two-seat trainer version, accounting for five airframes, is referred to as the TU-2S. The NASA version, accounting for two airframes derived from the U-2S, is referred to as the ER-2.
Tim Nguyen: A Life With Flare
21 August 2014
Tim Nguyen left South Vietnam on the last flight out in 1975. He's now one of the world's experts on defensive systems for large aircraft.
Willis Hawkins And The Genesis Of The Hercules
14 August 2014
Willis Hawkins had many highlights during his nearly fifty-year career with Lockheed, but he considered the C-130 Hercules one of his greatest successes.
LM-100J
17 July 2014
The LM-100J is the civil-certified version of Lockheed Martin's proven C-130J Super Hercules and is an updated version of the L-100 commercial cargo aircraft
F-35 Drag Chute
11 July 2014
The F-35 drag chute system consists of a removable, or missionized pod. While Norway will likely operate with the pod installed full-time, other countries have the option of installing the pod as needed. The system is being designed much as a wing pylon so that the pod can be installed and removed with minimal time and effort.
Aviation History Videos
1 July 2014
Gallery of historical videos of current and legacy aircraft of Lockheed Martin.
F-16 Unique Paint
16 June 2014
Collection of photos of F-16s with unique paint schemes.
Three-Bearing Swivel Nozzle History
12 June 2014
Interest in designs for vertical takeoff and landing, or VTOL, fighter aircraft began in the 1960s at the height of the Cold War when NATO bases were seen as vulnerable to preemptive attacks. Such aircraft, secured in hardened shelters, could still take off and land from bases with damaged runways.
F-35 Flight Test Update 13
12 May 2014
The previous F-35 Flight Test Update concluded with the first live guided missile launch from an F-35 on 30 October 2013. This first installment of 2014 and the thirteenth installment overall in the series of F-35 flight testing reviews presents a variety of subsequent weapon testing, including additional guided AIM-120 missile launches and guided GBU-32 drops for the F-35A, AIM-120 separation tests for the F-35C, and ten-weapon loads for the F-35A and F-35C. High angle of attack testing continued with the beginning of intentional departure tests of the F-35C at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division test facility at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. The F-35 System Development and Demonstration Program set flight duration records and surpassed 4,000 total test flights during this period as well.
F-35B Operations At Yuma
19 April 2014
three takeoffs and landings with hot pit refueling (ground refueling while the pilot remains in the cockpit with the engines running). The squadron began flying night missions in December 2013 and was flying them in March 2014 during the Code One visit.