Check out an inverted F-35 firing off a missile to test performance under negative G forces
As the F-35 marches closer to full combat readiness, pilots test the jet in ever more challenging environments, most recently by firing a AIM 9x air-to-air missile while flying upside-down.
"This unique missile launch is a situation we don't expect a pilot to be in very often," read the release. Firing a missile upside-down is nothing new. Fighters have had this capability for decades, and the stealth F-35 shouldn't often find itself in a turning fight with adversaries.
But now they know that if they need to fire a missile while experiencing negative G forces and inverted, they can.
"We want to provide the maximum capability of the F-35 to the fleet to get them where they need to be for training and operational use," said James Shepherd, the test pilot who fired the missile at Patuxent River Navy Base. "This will ensure we meet our promises to deliver the most advanced fifth generation fighter in the world."
Check out the missile in the pictures below:
Courtesy of F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office
Courtesy of F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- 9 health benefits of drinking sugarcane juice in summer
- 10 benefits of incorporating almond oil into your daily diet
- From heart health to detoxification: 10 reasons to eat beetroot
- Why did a NASA spacecraft suddenly start talking gibberish after more than 45 years of operation? What fixed it?
- ICICI Bank shares climb nearly 5% after Q4 earnings; mcap soars by ₹36,555.4 crore
- Nothing Phone (2a) blue edition launched
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market