The Navy's F-35 May Need New Landing Gear

[Dawood Ibrahim]

Changes to the aircraft carrier or the landing gear itself could be in the cards.

By Kyle Mizokami
Jan 6, 2017

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A group within the Department of Defense has recommended fixes for the landing gear naval version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Should they fail, the team recommends a redesign of the F-35C's landing gear to address issues, something that will push back delivery of the already delayed and over-budget aircraft.

Inside Defense reports that carrier takeoff and landing testing done on the USS George Washington last year exposed an issue with the aircraft during takeoffs. The aircraft makes a sudden jarring motion that "is not only uncomfortable but the Helmet-Mounted Display (HMD) and oxygen mask push up and down against the pilot's jaw." This results in an unreadable HMD during and after launch, presumably until the pilot can readjust the helmet.

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The F-35's $400,0000 HMD uses LCDs to overlay aircraft and sensor data onto the pilot's field of view, prompting F-35 supporters to describe it more as a "workspace" for the pilot than the traditional pilot helmet. This however adds to weight—the F-35 helmet weighs 5.1 pounds, creating an "elevated risk" for pilots under 136 pounds to sustain neck damage. Work is underway to reduce helmet weight to a safer 4.8 pounds or less.

F-35 Helmet Mounted Display. U.S. Air Force photo/R. Nial Bradshaw.
The takeoff issue is so serious that in 105 catapult shots, pilots reported 74 instances of "moderate pain" and several more cases of "severe pain".

The "red team"—typically a group created within an organization to challenge existing assumptions with new ideas—recommended a slate of actions with short, medium and long-term timelines. Short and medium term options range from changing the restraint system for pilots to modifying the nose landing gear. Longer term options include modifications to the aircraft carriers themselves or a redesign of the F-35C's landing gear, which would take one to three years to complete.

Nobody knows whether or not the long term options will actually be needed. The matter could be solved by relatively quick fixes. But if those fail, a major landing gear redesign will be a major spanner in the works for the Navy's F-35. The F-35C is currently projected to be initial operations capable—that is, ready for combat—between August 2018 and February 2019.

Read more at Inside Defense