3-D printer keeps F-35B flying during USS Wasp deployment

State-of-the-art parts fabrication is keeping America’s most advanced stealth fighter in the air during its first deployment aboard the USS Wasp.
When a plastic bumper for a landing-gear door wore out this month on an F-35B Lightning II embarked on the amphibious assault ship, a 3-D printer was used to whip up a new one.
The Iwakuni-based jet from Fighter Attack Squadron 121 later flew successfully with the new part, a Marine statement said.
Called “additive manufacturing,” the process from Naval Air Systems Command allowed the Marines of Combat Logistics Battalion 31 to create the new bumper and get it approved for use within days, the statement said. Otherwise, they would have had to replace the entire door assembly, which is expensive and time consuming.
stripes

Six F-35B jets land on USS Wasp for Marine Corps testing

Six U.S. F-35B on the USS Wasp amphibious warship on Monday for two weeks of operational testing required before the Marine Corps can declare a first squadron of 10 F-35s ready for combat use in July.
The testing, taking place off the coast of Virginia, will involve the six F-35 B-model jets, the highest number of F-35s ever used on a Navy warship to date, as well as Marine Corps pilots, maintenance personnel, and logistics experts, said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly.
The tests will check the ability of the stealthy jets to integrate into flight and deck operations on board the ship. They will include operations and weapons loading at day and night, the jets' ability to coordinate digitally with an on-board logistics system, and how well the crew can deal with scheduled and unexpected repairs at sea.
The Marine Corps must also complete certain modifications of the 10 jets that will make up the initial squadron.
The Pentagon's F-35 office said work on one of the jets had been completed, and two more would be finished this week. The seven remaining jets would be modified by the end of June.
reuters

Six F-35Bs to embark on board USS Wasp for shipboard operational test

The first shipboard operational test period for the Marine Corps' F-35B is scheduled to take place May 18-30 aboard the amphibious assault ship Wasp. Six of the jets will participate.
The aims of the at-sea tests include:
Assess day and night take-offs and landings, weapons loads, and extended range operations.
Assess aircraft-to-ship network communications.
Evaluate the landing signal officer's launch and recovery software.
Test the crew's ability to conduct scheduled and unscheduled maintenance.
Determine the suitability of maintenance support equipment for shipboard operations.
Assess the logistics footprint of a deployed, six-plane F-35B detachment.
The Wasp is the test ship for the F-35B and has not made a major deployment in over a decade.
Initial operating capability for the F-35B is scheduled for July.
navytimes

First USMC F-35B night landing at sea

A key milestone on the path to declaring F-35B initial operating capability for the U.S. Marine Corps is underway.
The F-35 Integrated Test Force from NAS Patuxent River embarked USS Wasp, Aug. 12, for the second at-sea test of the F-35B Lightning II, the short takeoff and vertical landing variant of the Joint Strike Fighter.
Developmental Test Phase Two is the second of three planned tests aimed at expanding the F-35B’s shipboard operating envelope for the U.S. Marine Corps. The first shipboard testing phase was successfully completed in October 2011.
During the 18-day long ship trials, two F-35Bs will conduct a series of tests to determine the aircraft’s suitability for sea-based operations. Pilots will expand the F-35Bs allowable wind envelope for launch and recovery, conduct first-ever night operations at sea, conduct initial mission systems evaluations at sea, evaluate the dynamic interface associated with aircraft operations on a moving flight deck, and further evaluate shipboard sustainment of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
hqmc.marines

Ready For Sea Trials; F-35B Completes 500th Vertical Landing

Lockheed Martin F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft completed its 500th vertical landing August 3. BF-1, the aircraft which completed this achievement, also accomplished the variant’s first vertical landing in March 2010 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.
Next week, Sea Trials, are scheduled to begin for the F-35B variant onboard the USS WASP. The first shipboard testing phase was successfully completed in October 2011. The successful completion of the upcoming Sea Trials is key to declaring F-35 Initial Operating Capability (IOC) for the U.S. Marine Corps in 2015.
lockheedmartin

USS Wasp Readies For JSF Tests After Aviation Certification

The LHD-1 USS Wasp passed its aviation certification earlier this month and is getting ready for its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Developmental Testing Phase II to occur later this summer.
To prepare for the certification, sailors spent their time between LHD-5 USS Bataan and numerous training courses to reacquaint themselves with the different types of aircraft slated to operate on the ship.
aviationweek