F-35C Carrier Landing Capability Questioned | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-11.24.25

AirborneNextGen-
11.18.25

Airborne-Unlimited-11.19.25

Airborne-AffordableFlyers-11.20.25

AirborneUnlimited-11.21.25

LIVE MOSAIC Town Hall (Archived): www.airborne-live.net

Tue, Jan 17, 2012

F-35C Carrier Landing Capability Questioned

Tail Hook May Be Too Short To Snag Arresting Gear

Engineers testing the capability of the F-35C to snag an arresting cable on an aircraft carrier have come up with a stunning conclusion: the airplane may not be able to do it.

File Photo

The blog Aviationintel.com reports that the tailhook on the JSF's Navy variant is simply too short to engage the arresting wire under even ideal conditions. Roll in/roll out tests conducted by Lockheed Martin resulted in no ... as in not one ... engagement of the tailhook with an arresting wire in eight tries. The tests were conducted under ideal conditions ... not at sea on a moving ship.

And because of the airplanes stealth characteristics, the tailhook can't simply be made longer and not compromise the low-observable design. The stealth design has the tailhook masked by the aircraft's skin, and a longer hook would stick out in the radar signature.

The blog writer says the flaw was identified in the Pentagon's "quick look" assessment of the airplane's progress, according to an article posted on www.f-16.net.

FMI: www.f35.com

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (11.25.25)

Aero Linx: Vintage Sailplane Association The purpose of the Vintage Sailplane Association (VSA) is to promote the acquisition, restoration and flying of vintage sailplanes by its m>[...]

NTSB Final Report: Glasair GlaStar

Smoke Began Entering The Cockpit During The Landing Flare, And Then The Pilot Noticed Flames... Analysis: The pilot reported that about 30 minutes into the local flight, he heard s>[...]

ANN FAQ: Turn On Post Notifications

Make Sure You NEVER Miss A New Story From Aero-News Network Do you ever feel like you never see posts from a certain person or page on Facebook or Instagram? Here’s how you c>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Red Tail Project Update – Taking the Mission to the People

From 2010 (YouTube Edition): The Red Tail Project Continues Effort Towards ‘Rise Above Program’ The Red Tail Project is a true example of this unbreakable spirit. In 20>[...]

Airborne 11.24.25: ANN's 30th!, Starship’s V3 Booster Boom, Earhart Records

Also: 1st-Ever Space Crime Was a Fraud, IAE Buys Diamonds, Kennon Bows Out, Perseverance Rover An interesting moment came about this past Sunday as ANN CEO, Jim Campbell, noted tha>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC