The F-35B can take off like an Olympic ski jumper now
The F-35B Lightning II aircraft can now take off from a "ski jump," reports Kelsey D. Atherton at Popular Science.
The Marine Corps' version of the jet — built for vertical landings and short takeoffs from ships — was successfully tested taking off down a short runway with the assistance of a "ski jump" on Tuesday, according to IHS Jane's. Interestingly, as Atherton notes, the test was for the benefit of NATO partners with "ski jumps" on their aircraft carriers, not for the U.S. Navy, which does not use them.
Jane's writes:
For the F-35B, the 'ski-jump' will be used to launch jets from the decks of the Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales carriers being built for the UK Royal Navy, and may be adopted by other customers such as Italy. Phase I testing will continue for two weeks, ahead of the Phase II trials to take place through the third quarter of the year. The MoD did not disclose what Phase II will entail, but it will likely feature shipborne trials aboard the Queen Elizabeth (QE) aircraft carrier (the first of the two QE-class ships).
So here it is. The F-35B, trying for Olympic gold: