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First Ski Jump For F-35B Lightning II
First Ski Jump For F-35B Lightning II | Forces TV
The F-35B Lightning II has successfully completed its first ski jump test at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in the US state of Maryland.
The ramp used was built in England however, at a cost of £2 million, by Stockport-based defence engineering company WFEL - who normally specialise in building rapidly deployable bridging systems.
The development complements the sea trials the Joint Strike Fighter has been undergoing with the US Marine Corps, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force onboard USS Wasp.
This latest combat aircraft, with an in-service date of December 2018 for the UK, will put the British Armed Forces at the forefront of fighter technology.
When they start flying from the new Queen Elizabeth Carriers in 2020 it will restore the Fleet Air Arm's ability to conduct fixed-wing, front-line operations.
That was lost in 2010 with the controversial retirement of the Harrier GR9's.
The MoD has so far ordered 48 F-35B's with four delivered and already undergoing testing.
Among those tests is the dropping of UK armament's including the Paveway IV laser-guided bomb - watch below:
