NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - A Lockheed Martin F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) Lightning II test aircraft completed the first-ever vertical takeoff (VTO) of the aircraft on May 10.
VTO flight is not a capability the aircraft will use in combat because the weight of combat ordnance, missiles, and a full fuel load would be higher than the aircraft can lift vertically. The F-35B is designed to conduct short takeoffs while loaded. However, Lockheed Martin notes that VTOs will be required for repositioning the aircraft in environments where a jet could not perform a short takeoff. In these cases, the F-35B could be loaded with a limited amount of fuel and execute a VTO to travel a short distance to a field capable of handling STOVL operations.
