Bomb's Away

Pit drop testing of nine different weapon combinations from the internal bays of the F-35B Lightning II was completed at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division test facility at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, on 29 March 2012. Weapons pit drop testing collects data to measure stresses on the airframe and adjacent stores, ensures proper weapon and suspension equipment function, and validates the separation models for the munitions’ ejection characteristics, including trajectories and velocities. Testing included inert versions of the 500-pound GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bomb, 1,000-pound GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munition, and AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile. In-flight separation testing is scheduled for later in 2012.