As promised, Lockheed Martin pulled off the first vertical landing of the F35B today. LockMart's test pilot hovered for a minute at 150 feet and then "rode 41,000 pounds of thrust" provided by the Pratt & Whitney F135 turbofan and dropped like a feather to the tarmac. The company said the F-35B featured in today's video is one of three F-35B STOVL aircraft undergoing flight trials at Patuxent River. The press release claims that the F135 is the most powerful engine ever flown in a fighter aircraft. I have to say, the rotating engine duct is pretty cool.
