F-35A Structural Testing Completed

Posted 9 June 2010

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Photo provided by BAE Systems

Full-scale static testing of the conventional takeoff and landing variant of the F-35 Lightning II was completed in early June. The static testing was completed with no structural failures five months ahead of schedule and in less than half the time of legacy programs. The test program was conducted on AG-1, an F-35A airframe dedicated to validating the strength of the design. During testing, the strength and stability of the aircraft structure were verified to 150 percent of design limits, or 13.5 times the force of gravity, with 174 critical load conditions, or pressures, applied to the airframe to evaluate its structural integrity. Testing was conducted predominantly at the BAE Systems Structural & Dynamic Test Laboratory in Brough, England.

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