F-35 news thread II

Ive been gone for awhile, so I decided to put up more F-35 news that’s been over looked. this is the old thread.

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=100273

http://www.f-16.net/f-16_forum_viewtopic-t-14146.html

BF-2 Goes super sonic!

F-35B BF-2 flew faster than the speed of sound for the first time on June 10, 2010. The supersonic milestone was achieved on the 30th flight. USMC pilot Lt. Col. Matt Kelly climbed to 30,000 feet and accelerated to Mach 1.07 in the off-shore supersonic test track near NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.

Wait a second! I thought the official speed of the F-35 was mach 1.6!!?

June 15: Lockheed Martin confirmed that the F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the Joint Strike Fighter has flown faster than the speed of sound for the first time.

BF-02, the second F-35B, achieved the milestone on June 10, accelerating to Mach 1.07 (727 miles per hour) on the first in a long series of planned supersonic flights. “For the first time in military aviation history, supersonic, radar-evading stealth comes with short takeoff and vertical landing capability,” said Bob Price, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 US Marine Corps programme manager. The F-35B will enter service with the Marines, the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, and the Italian Air Force and Navy.

The supersonic flight was the 30th for BF-02 – US Marine Corps pilot Lt Colonel Matt Kelly climbed to 30,000ft and accelerated to Mach 1.07 in the off-shore supersonic test track near Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Future testing will gradually expand the flight envelope out to the aircraft’s top speed of Mach 1.6.

BF-02 is the third F-35 to achieve supersonic flight; two F-35As also have broken the sound barrier.

http://www.key.aero/view_news.asp?ID=2141&thisSection=%3Cb%3EMilitary%3C/b%3E