British pilot conducts first test of F-35B ski-jump launch

Trial proves technology to be fitted on HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier

A British test pilot has became the first pilot to launch the F-35B short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant from a ski-jump.

The trial, that took place last week in Maryland in the US, saw the fighter jet taking off from a land-based ski jump as part of its test programme.

The manoeuvre proved the aircraft's ability to take off safely and effectively from a ski-jump ramp similar to that which will be used on the UK's new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Ski-jump ramps will provide the aircraft with an upward flight path meaning the F-35B can take off from the available distance with a bigger weapons payload.

BAE Systems test pilot Pete Wilson, who conducted the trial at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, said: “It's always exciting when you get to do something in aviation for the first time.

“We spend literally years planning these firsts', with hundreds of hours in the simulator as the event gets close, but even with all the preparation the test team remains focussed on the potential that something unexpected might happen. As is usually the case, the jet performed as expected and it was a real pleasure.”

The trial, part of a series of tests that will last two weeks, continue to inform the F-35 programme.

In Warton, Lancashire, meanwhile, the data from the flights will be used to further improve the models used in a flight simulation facility that allows engineers to fly the F-35 from the deck of the Queen Elizabeth carrier before either are available. This facility remains at the heart of developing a carrier strike capability for the UK.