Residents who live near bases where F-35s are stationed appealed to the Pentagon saying they feared the F-35 would be too loud and disturb neighborhoods.
However, the Joint Strike Fighter program office released results on Oct.31 that found the F-35B is no louder than the F/A-18. The tests results were released ahead of the beginning of training for F-35B pilots at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina.
The tests were done in 2013 at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Testers found that the takeoff noise made by the Marine Corps variant of the F-35 is only two decibels higher than the Super Hornet -- a level of noise that the human ear would have a hard time detecting.
Conversely, the F-35B was 10 decibels quieter than the Super Hornet in flying formations or landing, according to the test results.
Of course those test results have been questioned in the past, especially in regards to the controversial decision to base F-35s in Burlington, Vermont.
The local Beaufort paper has more details on the studies here.
