Lockheed Martin F-35A, B, C and other ideas

Gondor · June 21, 2013, 12:54:04 AM

Quote from: Thorvic on June 21, 2013, 12:19:14 AM

The USN MV-22 COD trials are slated for this year, would be interesting if selected as that would help reduce costs and improve reliability of the V-22 program plus as another user in another role it may stoke the intrest of other possible users. Initially i was skeptical about it compared with the Greyhound, but the one stop solution does have merits especially when dealing with other none super-carrier ships in the fleet or going ashore without the need for a full blown Airbase or Airport. We'll just have to wait and see how it does in the USN trials

That sounds like a lot of sense and would as you say provide COD to non Carrier ships as long as the MV-22 could touch down on them at least partially to allow for the load to be taken off.

Gondor

Taiidantomcat · July 03, 2013, 07:48:48 AM

First F-35C to Eglin AFB

pyro-manic · July 03, 2013, 12:42:37 PM

Colourful markings? I didn't think that was allowed!

PR19_Kit · July 03, 2013, 02:08:56 PM

Quote from: pyro-manic on July 03, 2013, 12:42:37 PM
Colourful markings? I didn't think that was allowed!

But it is for the first F-35 unit........

Taiidantomcat · July 05, 2013, 06:45:17 AM

rickshaw · July 05, 2013, 07:27:03 AM

Why does the fuselage contours behind the cockpit look so different in that shot? Also what is the thing on top of the right intake? The gun?

kitnut617 · July 05, 2013, 07:33:33 AM

It doesn't look so pronounce in this pic I took at Yuma Brian

sandiego89 · July 05, 2013, 09:36:52 AM

Quote from: rickshaw on July 05, 2013, 07:27:03 AM
Why does the fuselage contours behind the cockpit look so different in that shot? Also what is the thing on top of the right intake? The gun?

Rickshaw, there are two different versions of the F-35 shown in the above photo's that's why: F-35C and F-35B. Aircraft marked 101 and NJ is the Navy version, the F-35C. The cropped picture showing the forward fuselage, and the picture on the ramp at Yuma are both the F-35B, the V/STOL version for the US Marines and UK. The top of the fuselage is indeed different due to the lift fan behind the cockpit. Huge door over the lift fan opens to the front. The easiest way to tell the difference the between the B and the A or C is the cockpit canopy. On the B the clear canopy stops just aft the ejection seat, almost at a 90 degree angle. On the A and C is goes further back and has better visibility for the pilot.

Yes that is the gun on B. [edit, No internal gun on the B, this part redacted]

pyro-manic · July 05, 2013, 11:32:20 AM

But the B doesn't have an internal gun...

Chris Payne · July 05, 2013, 01:02:33 PM

The 'B' has a bolt on gun that fits on the rear fuselage.

Thorvic · July 05, 2013, 02:30:54 PM

Quote from: sandiego89 on July 05, 2013, 02:15:55 PM
I stand corrected, good catch, the B has optional podded gun on the belly. A and C have the cannon on the port side above the port intake. I don't know what that auxiliary intake above the starboard intake on the B is for.

Nope the C will use a gun pod as per the B only the A Air Force version has the internal gun. AFAIK the vent is just that an Au air intake for cooling just can't remember if its for the avionics, the weapons bays or the lift fan and clutch as they can get rather warm.

rickshaw · July 05, 2013, 08:30:16 PM

Grrr, too confusing.

Why make it so bleedin' complex? Now, if Whiffers had been in charge of this, they'd have simply cut and shunt fuselage extensions and kept the profiles the same.

More seriously, I'd have assumed that the cockpit shape would have stayed the same and the fuselage behind it either had the lift-fan or not.

PR19_Kit · July 06, 2013, 10:17:20 AM

I'll bet the lift fan takes up space that's needed for avionics or something else on the A and C models, so they've moved the 'somethings' forward and had to reduce the size of the canopy to suit on the B.

Alternatively the lift fan makes SO much noise when it's running that the extra space at the rear of the canopy is for sound deadening........

Gondor · July 06, 2013, 11:17:26 AM

Quote from: Thorvic on July 05, 2013, 02:30:54 PM

Nope the C will use a gun pod as per the B only the A Air Force version has the internal gun. AFAIK the vent is just that an Au air intake for cooling just can't remember if its for the avionics, the weapons bays or the lift fan and clutch as they can get rather warm.

Should be easy enough to check photographs of both the B and C versions to see if the intake is on both versions, if it is only on the B then you idea about the clutch could be valid but would not be proven, if the intake is only on the C or is on both versions then its got to be for some other kind of cooling.

Gondor

kitnut617 · July 07, 2013, 07:43:27 AM

I asked Evan who's been working on the thing, he says it's an air intake for a heat exchanger but couldn't remember what for though, possibly for the ECS or another system.