The Fighter Jet That Hovers | F-35B Lightning
(Tense music) - For me, as soon as I slammed that throttle forward, (aircraft jet engine noise) a lot of those worries and fears just washed away. (tense music) (aircraft jet engine noise) - [Sam] The F-35 Bravo, a fifth generation supersonic stealth fighter jet flown by the United States Marine Corps. (aircraft humming) It also just so happens to be one of only two US fighter jets in history with the ability to hover. The aircraft was designed for short takeoff and vertical landing, something you'll hear referred to as STOVL. With the help of a vertical lifting fan that functions like a miniature helicopter, the F-35 B can take off from small amphibious assault ships and return to land vertically. - We can bring that aircraft from a touchdown to a full stop in a few hundred feet.
- It's a fascinating design and one that I've never fully understood until today. I'm here on the coast of South Carolina at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, where we'll have the opportunity to sit down with an F-35 pilot one-on-one, and witness something I've been looking forward to seeing for a long time. The F-35 Bravo putting on a full flight demonstration, including a firsthand look at what this aircraft is known for, its iconic hover.
(aircraft humming) So, you've been flying the F-35 for over seven years now. Can you take us back to your very first time flying the F-35B, strapping in, taking off, what was that like? - Currently today, in the syllabus that we teach our students, there's significant amount of sims that you do first. So, that first day, there's obviously gonna be some nerves, but when you strap into the jet, you've already started it before, so that stress is gone. You get on the runway, you advance the throttle, and although now you're in your gear, a little hot, the carryover from the sim is actually pretty good.
And as soon as, for me, as soon as I slammed that throttle forward, a lot of those worries and fears just washed away. - Do you ever just, when you're flying, turn around, look over at your shoulders, see this alien spacecraft-looking airplane behind you and be like, this is the coolest job in the world? - I had a leader a few years back who gave me a sound piece of advice, because we don't have mirrors like some aircraft do. - Yeah. - He said, "Hey, man, every time you fly, try to take a moment at some point just to think about what you're doing and realize what a gift it is and how lucky you are to do it." - Is there one thing about this airplane that every time you see it or get to use it, it just blows your mind? - A lot of the workings of it and how we do the thing, we've been trained to do that.
And I'm not gonna say that it's become commonplace, but you don't necessarily focus on that as much. For me, it's just the fifth generation fighters, they look so futuristic on the flight line that every time you walk to one, every time you're in one, I always just feel that, especially when we've got our fourth generation, your F-18s on the flight line, it always jumps out at you what you're flying. - [Sam] Now, for those unfamiliar with the F-35, the aircraft comes in three different variants, each one designed for a unique role. The F-35 Alpha is designed for air to air combat, taking off and landing on conventional runways. The F-35 Charlie is optimized for aircraft carriers and features a larger overall wing design needed for slower approach speeds. And finally, the F-35 Bravo with its massive lifting fan installed just behind the cockpit allows the aircraft to perform short takeoffs and vertical landings, which include the iconic hover.
(aircraft humming) (tensed music) - We can take an aircraft that weighs about 33,500 pounds and we can bring that aircraft to a dead hover. Additionally, we can take off in a shorter distance is approximately fully loaded, let's call it 800 to 1,000 feet depending on combat load environmentals. And we can, one, land vertically, and then, two, we talk about expeditionary ops, flying off of roads, hastily constructed landing mats designed for military aircraft. We can bring that aircraft from a touchdown to a full stop in a few hundred feet.
So, really gives us a unique capability that the other variants do not have. - So, does the Bravo variant that you guys find in the Marine Corps, does that have less maneuverability from the Alpha and the Charlie? - The biggest hit we take is in our load limits due to the lift fan's positioning within the aircraft and our CG, we're only able to go up to that 7G limit. Even if you're dog fighting, the amount of time you live in that load-limited regime at the maximum of your G that you're able to sustain, you are gonna be bleeding energy so quickly that it's not where you're going to spend the preponderance of your time in the dog fight. So, short answer, yes, we do take a hit.
I don't think it's necessarily as severe of a hit as folks consider it to be. - Well, I didn't know until I was researching this is that the Bravo variant and the Charlie variant, they don't have an internal gun installed. Only the Air Force version does. Why is that? - With the F-35 B, the reason we don't have a gun is due to the lift fan, due to the extra space we required for our fuel tanks, and for the lift fan that sits right behind the pilot. What we have instead is we have a gun pod.
So, the gun pod was both derived from the Harrier's gun pod, which means it's a 25-millimeter cannon. It's a four-barrel weapon system. It's straps on to the center line of the aircraft and we don't have it always on our side, don't have it always coming with us, but it means that should the mission require it, then we can pretty quickly put it on the aircraft, load it up, and take it with us down range. - So, something I always thought's cool, you guys can launch off of ships less than a thousand feet long. What's that like? - When it comes to the way that we operate off ships, believe it or not, we actually use some of the advanced functionality of the F-35 B and from our landing signal's officer, we will calculate exactly how much roll you need on the flight deck of that ship and we will set ourselves up at these lines built into the deck of the ship to launch in the exact amount of distance we need.
We calculate that exact number we need to launch from, put it into the aircraft and we conduct an automatic stow. So, the aircraft itself, we get everything primed up, ready to go, hands on the controls, but once you let your feet off the brakes and push the throttle forward, the jet itself is calculating that distance down, and then it executes the rotation for you. Ultimately, you've learned to trust that aircraft. That aircraft is the only way you're gonna leave that ship and it's the only way you're gonna land on it. - Now, I mentioned earlier that the F-35 Bravo is one of only two US fighter jets in history with the ability to hover.
The other, the iconic AV-8B Harrier. The Marine Corps has been flying the Harrier since 1985 and while it's still flying today, its days are numbered. And in the coming years, the Marine Corps will fully transition over to the F-35 Bravo.
Now, with two aircraft of completely different generations yet overlapping mission sets, I was curious to learn about their similarities and differences. And lucky enough, I was able to catch up with a former Harrier pilot now stationed here at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort flying F-35s, to ask him just that. So, to set the scene in the simplest way possible, can you explain how the hovering system works on the F-35 Bravo? - Yeah, sure thing. So, at the heart of it, we've got the lift fan system.
So, the lift fan is right behind the cockpit there, right behind the pilot, and that lift fan is physically connected via drive shaft and clutch to the actual fuel burning engine. So, when I hit the button in the jet, the hook STOVL button, and I convert into mode four, which is STOVL, all the doors open up on the top and bottom. That clutch engages and the main engine energizes the lift fan. So, that provides lift at the forward edge of the aircraft.
On the rear edge of the aircraft, we've got the 3BSN, three-bearing swivel nozzle, and that allows the exhaust from the engine to pivot down and point at the ground. So, you have two points of lift, one in the front, one in the back, and that provides the lift capabilities for the aircraft. Additionally, on the wingtips or about halfway out on the wings, you have two roll posts and that provides that lateral stability left and right for maintaining balance in STOVL. - So, starting off flying a platform like the Harrier, and then moving on to something like the F-35, what are some of the main differences that stick out to you? - Sure. So, it's a world of difference.
So, the Harrier, everything in that aircraft is mechanically linked. So, everything I'm touching in the aircraft, throttle, the nozzle lever, the stick and the pedals is mechanically linked to those actuators. So, when we're in the hover in the Harrier, you have RCS ducts, a reactionary control system ducts, that vent air from the engine to the wingtips, nose, and tail, and that provides my lateral and yaw and pitch while in the hover. And again, like I said, that's directly connected to my stick in the Harrier. And there's a little bit of stability augmentation that helps me maintain a smooth hover. But for the most part, it is a hundred percent pilot actuation in the Harrier to maintain hover.
So, it's a lot more pilot workload-intensive. Whereas in the F-35, we talked about the heart, the lift fan. The mind, you have the VMCs, the computers, the fly-by-wire that are sitting behind the chair there, and those take account for all the dynamics going on with the aircraft and pretty much control it for me. So, in the F-35, like I said, I hit the hook STOVL, go into mode four, go into hover mode, and then I tell the jet to slow down, and it'll come down to a stable hover and I can take my hands off the stick and throttle at that point, and it is 100% stable, very easy to fly and the hover. - Now, I know most people have seen the crazy helmet you guys wear as F-35 pilots, and one of those awesome features is that you can look through the bottom of the jet. Now, for you guys, hovering, landing vertically, does that feature help you out more would you say or no? - To be honest, don't use that a whole lot from when I'm using the hover, because I'm looking outside, those Harrier habit patterns that I have over years of flying the Harrier, looking outside at where my landing point is.
But then I can also back myself up with those same cameras, I can project onto the screen inside the cockpit, and see a top-down view from my seat where the aircraft is hovering over to optimize my landing point. - Now, when it comes to the conditions of the runway or tarmac to land vertically, what does it have to be? Because I imagine that lifting system, the engine, that could tear the ground up. What requirements are you looking for? - Yeah, so if we try to do a hover to a vertical landing over just normal concrete or asphalt, we run the risk of tearing it up due to the immense amount of heat and thrust coming out of this engine. So, it's especially treated concrete, reinforced concrete pads that are specifically designated for the F-35.
Here, we've got five pads that are available to us, and then we've got other pads around different Marine Corps Air Stations. (robust music) - So, I'm here with Gunnery Sergeant Weiss who is a maintainer on this incredible airplane. I'm just curious, can you describe what it's like to fix and maintain an aircraft as advanced as this? - It could be a pretty daunting task.
With this aircraft and all of its computers that it does have, it leads us down a lot of rabbit holes sometimes that we think it's one thing and it actually winds up being another thing that fixes it. So, at the end of the day, getting to the root cause and actually getting this jet back up in the sky is a great time. - And one of the coolest things I always, I love to see is you guys marshal 'em out, salute 'em. - Yeah. - [Sam] And then, they're on their way. - [Gunnery Sergeant Weiss] That is like the most fun.
- I met a couple 18-year-olds, 19-year-olds who are out here working on over $100 million aircraft. How do you tell them about that responsibility? How do they take that at such a young age? - You pretty much, the way I do it personally is, I put it in their hands like, hey, would you put your mom or dad in that cockpit? Would you let your brother or sister fly this aircraft that you just worked on? You make it that personal and you really break it down to that level, I think they take a lot more pride and a lot, and they respect the process a lot more and make sure that they hit all the (indistinct) to make sure that we are providing safe aircraft. - Now, I wanna take a second to thank our sponsor, Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, for helping make this video possible. Honeywell products can be found all across the F-35 and each one is designed with the latest technological innovations that play a vital role in the F-35's capabilities. When you have an aircraft as advanced as the F-35, a question you might not think about is how you cool down the internal avionics? Without an efficient and reliable cooling system, the F-35 wouldn't be able to get off the ground.
That's where Honeywell's innovative and groundbreaking power and thermal management system, or PTMS, comes into play. Meticulously integrated into the aircraft, the system works by absorbing, moving, and venting heat from the aircraft while also managing the electrical loads to ensure that the right amount of power is delivered to the right place at the right time. Honeywell's technology optimizes energy usage, provides redundancy for improved reliability, and ensures the proper cooling for the aircraft's advanced systems all in one. As the supplier of the F-35's PTMS for the past two decades, Honeywell is also focused on the future, and is constantly innovating their systems to ensure that they both meet and exceed the demands of the US military and allied partners.
Once again, a huge thanks to Honeywell Aerospace for helping make this video possible. So, at this point, I want to do a little bit of a speed round. So, I put a poll out on Instagram. I asked the audience, what do you guys wanna know about the F-35B? And this is the list they submitted. Now, I'll warn you, there's a lot of questions about hovering, so hope you're prepared, but you ready to go? - Let's hit it. - Okay. What is the highest altitude the F-35 can hover at? - We depend a lot on the environmentals, but a few thousand feet.
- So, then follow up, what would happen if you turned on the hover mode at 15,000 feet? - Well, with our limit being 10, the system won't let you, but let's say you did, with the air being that thin and the performance margins being what they are, I think you would start to drop out of the sky very quickly. - Have you ever flown with the canopy open while hovering? - Absolutely not. - What's the furthest you've ever flown while hovering? - That's an interesting question.
Probably a few hundred feet of lateral movement. - Can the F-35 take off vertically as well? - It can take off vertically, but you have to be at about 25% of your fuel loading with a slick airplane in order to do it. So, we call it a air show maneuver only. - Can the hovering capability be used in a dog fight? - I wish we could hit that button and they would fly right past you, but no.
- How fast can you fly while hovering? - Under the loading of the wings is going to be limited by, let's call it about 45 to 55 knots calibrated. - Compared to other aircraft, would you say the F-35 is easy to fly? - Yes. I don't have experience with other aircraft, but I do train transition pilots and they all admit that this aircraft has a lot of functionality that make it very easy to fly.
- How quickly do you run out of fuel while hovering and how long could you hover if needed? - When you're establishing a full hover, you're burning about, let's call it 3 to 400 pounds per minute. So, in order to establish yourself in a hover, like potentially be as heavy as a 3.8, so you could potentially hover, quick math in public, nine and change minutes.
- What's the coolest or weirdest design feature on the F-35 that many people might not know about? - Maybe people don't really know about it, it's probably the voice recognition feature. You can actually hold down a button and you can speak to the aircraft and have it try to change some things for you like the frequency you're on, the current nav point you're using in your system. It doesn't work well for a lot of people and that's certainly not something that many people are used to, so it doesn't receive a lot of attention. - So, you're saying this is like a built-in like Siri on your iPhone? - Realistically. You can get it to do some very rudimentary things for you by talking to it, but it's pretty persnickety on whose voice is talking to it.
Some guys can't use it at all, some guys can use it. I don't know anyone who uses it regularly. - What is your favorite maneuver to perform when flying the F-35? - It's gonna be the square loop that you see in our demo.
We're the only aircraft in the Marine Corps Navy inventory that as you point it directly at the ground, knows low and maximum afterburner. Pretty cool maneuver, 'cause that's not something you usually like to find yourself doing in a fighter aircraft that low to the ground. - Well, I know you got a demo you're about to get ready to fly for. We can't wait to watch it from the ground, see those maneuvers you talked about, watch this thing in action, so we'll be out there.
Can't wait though. - Looking forward to it. It's gonna be awesome. (robust music) - So, we are out here on the ramp, just a few minutes out from takeoff. Now, I am here with Major Cricket Ybarra, who's gonna sort of be our play by play announcer for this, something like that at least, right? - Yeah, that's right. - Well, we can't wait. We've been waiting for it. It's been hyped.
Here we go. The F-35 Bravo. (robust music) - [Participant 1] 32, clear forward, taking off (speaks muffly) - [Participant 2] 32, safety copy. Have a good one. - All right, let's get this show going. Reverse complete, power up, off brakes. - Let's go.
- [Participant 1] Three, two, one, roll it. (aircraft humming) - All right, now he's gonna set up from right to left for the min radius turn high alpha loop. (aircraft humming) What the min radius turn is really gonna demonstrate is the degrees per second that this jet can turn, as well as the minimal radius, which is gonna be useful for BFM engagement, ACM engagement. (aircraft humming) (robust music) All right, next, he's gonna reposition set up for the mach run. So, max speed of the aircraft, 630 knots, mach, 1.6. He's gonna be hitting show center at about 620 knots about, mach 0.92.
So, just below supersonic. (aircraft humming) - So, as fast as we are legally allowed to go out here. - Just about, yeah. - [Sam] Okay. - [Participant 2] Safety copies.
- [Participant 1] Just keep running to the speed of sound. (robust music) (aircraft humming) - All right, from left to right now, he's setting up for the square loop. Again, demonstrate the high nose authority, high alpha turn performance that this jet offers. He's setting up from left to right at 350 knots and he's gonna pull into the pure vertical loop.
- [Participant 1] That was a 220. (robust music) (aircraft humming) - All right, next up, he's gonna do these slow speed pass into the half Cuban eight. So, what this is gonna show is the high alpha, so slow speed, high alpha, high AOA, angle of attack.
- [Participant 1] 32, safety, let's slow down to the slow speed pass. (robust music) (wind blowing) (upbeat music) (aircraft humming) - All right, next up, he's gonna start from right to left, setting up our weapon bay door passing. (participant speaking muffly) (aircraft humming) (upbeat music) (robust music) - From right to left, he's gonna enter the vertical. At 4,500 feet, he's gonna pull onto his back inverted. As his nose crosses to the horizon, he's gonna execute a pedal turn or our horseshoe mechanics. (robust music) All right, next up, he's gonna be executing the tactical pitch from right to left.
Gonna go max AV roll, 45 degrees of right wing down and max reform the jet. So, what this is gonna do is allow the, he's gonna essentially squat the jet to rapidly reorient his nose and lift factor. - Yeah. So, in a dog fight, you're saying this is something you guys would do.
- Potentially. Yeah. - Alrighty. (participant speaking muffly) (robust music) (aircraft humming) - At about 0.6, 0.7 miles, he's gonna go idle with his left hand, and the jet is gonna smoothly transition to the hover. - I feel like this has to be the crowd favorite, right? - This is what everybody wants to see. - This is the hover. - You always ask,
like you guys gonna hover? - This is the hover. Everyone's wanted to see it. - [Participant 1] Pilot, let's show 'em how slow we can really go. Bring it to a stop, show center. (participant speaking muffly) (upbeat music) - Well, a huge thanks to the Warlords of VMFAT-501 here at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort for giving us the chance to check out the F-35 Bravo in action. If any of you have any more questions about this aircraft, leave them down in the comments below and we'll see what we can do to answer them.
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So, we're signing out and I'll catch you next time. (upbeat music)
2024-09-22 20:58
