STOVL Jet the fifth Lockheed Martin F-35 to enter flight testing

A Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) stealth fighter became the fifth F-35 to begin flight operations, on February 3rd. The jet, known as BF-3, departed the runway near Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth plant at 4:02 p.m. CST for its first flight. During the one-hour sortie, F-35 Chief Test Pilot Jon Beesley tested the aircraft’s handling qualities, engine functionality, landing gear operation and basic subsystem performance.