Even if the bomb used in the test did not contain any explosive, the F-35 test team made a new step towards operational status by conducting the program’s first guided weapon test on Edwards Air Force Base Precision Impact Range Area in California, on Oct. 29.
The Electro-Optical Targeting System, or EOTS, enabled the pilot to identify, track, designate and deliver the GBU-12 on target.
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.
In anticipation of its future assignment to the VFA-101 “Grim Reapers” at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, the F-35C CF-6 has received a cool high-visibility color scheme. The Grim Repers were established in May 1952, […]
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta visited NAS Patuxent River on Jan. 20 and announced the STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been taken off probation. “We need […]
Until a photo with an interesting caption appeared on the November 2012 issue of Air Force Magazine, few people had noticed that an F-35 display model at the Air Force Association Technology Expo 2012, had […]
Here’s a picture of the tank at weapon impact.
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/f-35b-strikes-tank-with-guided-bomb-in-test-392372
Looks like a miss to me…