Hobby Master Archive

The USMC plans to replace their F/A-18, AV-8B and EA-6B with the new Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II. On March 18, 2010 at Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland’s Integrated Test Force (ITF) from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 the first F-35B prototype BF-01 lifted off with the runway using less than 1000 feet and only 80 knots of speed. After 13 minutes of flight BF-01 used its 41,000 pounds of thrust to hover 150 feet above the ground and then slowly descend to a successful first vertical landing.