00:26The
00:27Lockheed Martin F-35
00:29Lightning II, an advanced fifth-generation stealth fighter jet.
00:34The variant shown is likely the F-35B, designed for short takeoff and vertical landing,
00:41STOVL, capability on aircraft carriers or amphibious assault ships.
00:46The aircraft uses stealth technology to reduce its radar signature,
00:51making it difficult to detect by enemy radars.
00:54The F-35 is designed as a multi-role aircraft capable of carrying missiles and bombs
00:59internally to maintain its stealth characteristics.
01:03The F-35 is designed as a multi-role
01:32and just flying F-35 is the highlight of my career, so being able to come to the USS Wasp
01:37and fly F-35 from an NHD class marine ship is staggering.
01:44Every time I get in the jet I'm excited to see the systems working, I'm excited to fly it.
01:50I'm very excited about what it's going to bring the U.K. and all the partner nations in terms of
01:54capability.
01:58For the U.K., this is the future for our carrier aviation.
02:01The U.K. is building two new carriers, the Queen Elizabeth class,
02:04and the F-35B is the principal weapon system to fly off that carrier.
02:15With the Harrier you had to be constantly refining the controls to make sure you were in the right piece
02:21of sky at all times.
02:22With this aircraft, really your job becomes much easier.
02:25It's a much less stressful task, so it's a much safer aircraft to fly.
02:35The aircraft is performing fantastically out of sea.
02:38Obviously we had the prior experience on DT-1 a couple of years ago,
02:43and we saw then that the F-35 suited this environment very well.
02:48What we've now moved on to is pushing the envelope out further,
02:53carrying internal stores and flying at night,
02:56and really just expanding the envelope to make sure that when the Marine Corps go to initial operating capability,
03:01they've got the best available operating envelope that we can give them.
03:10Taking off with a weapon load is relatively transparent to the pilot.
03:15The acceleration is still good down the deck, the handling is all the same.
03:19So whether you've got weapons or not, to be honest, it's hard to tell.
03:26I was initially a little worried about flying at night with my Harrier legacy baggage,
03:31because the Harrier was a much more difficult aircraft to fly.
03:35Happily, the F-35 is much easier.
03:37It's definitely fifth gen in every respect,
03:40and the night flying was a breeze.
03:46What we're seeing is the aircraft's much easier to fly,
03:50but as far as I'm concerned, much easier to maintain as well.
03:53This aircraft has very much been designed with the maintainer in mind,
03:56so all the components that we need to change, the work we have to do,
04:00it's considerably easier and hence quicker for the maintenance team that we've brought on board.
04:06The UK is going to be very pleased with the F-35.
04:09It's got a fantastic capability.
04:11It looks like it's going to integrate very well with its carriers,
04:14and it's a great jet to fly.
04:15So for all those people at school now...
04:17full moon 11
04:18so
04:18where
04:18people
04:18who
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