Touch Down

The first Joint Strike Fighter variant designed for short takeoffs and vertical landings arrived in Maryland at Naval Air Station Patuxent River yesterday, after flying from Lockheed Martin's JSF assembly line in Fort Worth, TX, via Marietta, GA, the company said in a statement today.

The aircraft, known as BF-1, in December will begin hover and vertical landing flight tests, InsideDefense.com reported last month.

“We have high confidence in the capabilities of this aircraft, and we fully expect that it will meet or exceed the expectations of our customers,” Dan Crowley, Lockheed Martin executive vice president and F-35 program general manager, said in a statement. “At Patuxent River, this aircraft will continue the process of validating our revolutionary STOVL propulsion system through a series of short takeoffs, hovers and vertical landings.”

While flight engineers ready BF-1 for an initial round of tests, senior Pentagon officials are closely watching another part of the program -- its price tag. As InsideDefense.com has reported, the JSF Joint Estimate Team has determined the program requires more time and billions of additional dollars to develop.