Photos By Eric Schulzinger
Text By Eric Hehs
From Code One Magazine
It is one thing to see a fifth-generation fighter from afar. It is quite another to see one close up. Lockheed Martin corporate photographer Eric Schulzinger spent some time with the first F-35 just before its inauguration ceremony in July. His results highlight some unique aspects of the F-35 Lightning II. The intricate curves indicate a balance between high performance and stealth. The panel seams highlight the incredibly tight manufacturing tolerances. These detail images blur the boundaries between technology and art.
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Nose On
The first F-35 carries no radar. Space in the nose of the aircraft normally allocated to the radar contains flight test instrumentation. The seam around the front circumference of the nose, unique to the first aircraft, allows easy access to this equipment and easy installation of an air data instrumentation boom. The hexagonal panel on the left is a closeout panel for the upper forward antenna for a datalink. The hexagonal panel on the right is the upper forward window for the distributed aperture system, an array of infrared sensors that work with the helmet-mounted display to provide the pilot with a 360-degree field of view around and through the aircraft.
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Main Gear And Tires
The F-35 landing gear varies in capability from variant to variant. The carrier and short takeoff/vertical landing versions have beefier gear and structure to handle higher sink rates and harder landings. Goodrich Corporation manufactures the main landing gear as well as the associated downlock and retract actuators and the wiring harnesses. The tires are manufactured by Goodyear, which is supplying prototype intelligent tires with sensors and transponders embedded in the rubber. These tires sense and transmit tire inflation pressure and temperature. The information is associated with a unique serial number that assists maintenance personnel to monitor tire life from cradle to grave. This monitoring ability supports the F-35 autonomic logistics system that uses advanced technology to prescribe maintenance actions.
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Front Landing Gear Bay And Electro-Optical Targeting System
The single door on the front landing gear bay is unique to the first F-35. Subsequent versions of the aircraft will feature split doors to reduce weight and increase control during landings in crosswinds, as a single large door requires larger tail surfaces to control the aircraft in crosswinds. The faceted object just below the nose represents the window for the electro-optical targeting system. Although not every production F-35 will possess this system, every F-35 will feature this shape for aerodynamic consistency. This consistency reduces costs associated with flight testing the aerodynamic effects of aircraft not equipped with the system.
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Diverterless Intake
The unassuming bump at the opening of the F-35 inlet works with the forward-swept inlet cowl to redirect unwanted boundary layer airflow away from the inlet. The diverterless inlet, as it is called, is a technology advancement introduced on the JSF. It meets aerodynamic and observables requirements in a less complex manner than previous designs. The geometry of the cowl itself changed from X-35 to F-35. The new geometry provides better airflow into the engine at higher angles of attack. The inlet itself was moved back several inches to reduce weight and cost. White paint on the internal surfaces is unique to the first aircraft. Internal surfaces of subsequent inlets will be painted gray.
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Panel Seams And Air Data Probe
New seam technology used on the F-35 makes the aircraft easier to maintain. The technology allows removable panels to meet low-observable requirements. Unlike larger panels of the past, the seams of these smaller panels do not themselves require maintenance. Also unlike the larger panels, these smaller panels require less time to remove and reinstall. Smaller panels can now be associated with specific pieces of equipment. The mechanical air data probe, made by Avionics Specialties, Inc., swivels and is unique to the first F-35. Subsequent aircraft will have fixed probes, made by Goodrich Corporation, similar to those on the F-22.
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Engine Nozzle
The F-35 is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney F135 engine that produces approximately 40,000 pounds of thrust in afterburner. The thrust makes the Lightning II the most powerful single-engine fighter ever built. To reduce cost, the nozzles of engines flown on the first aircraft do not have the low-observable characteristics that will be found on engines for subsequent aircraft. The geometry of the swiveling nozzle associated with the short takeoff/vertical landing version requires slightly shortened tail feathers.
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