The second F-35 Joint Strike Fighter production-model jet made its first flight last week, prime contractor Lockheed Martin [LMT] said yesterday.
AF-7 took off from Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas, on March 4 and landed there again after an hour and 20-minute flight, the company said in a press statement.
AF-7 is the second and final aircraft from Low-Rate Initial Production lot 1. The first, AF-6, flew for the first time a week earlier.
The two production jets and 11 preproduction test aircraft have completed 683 flights since testing began in December 2006, according to Lockheed Martin. The aircraft will head to Edwards AFB, Calif., to support developmental testing shortly after the Air Force takes delivery.
During the flights, the conventional takeoff/landing F-35As underwent basic flight maneuvering and engine tests. The aircraft will continue flight tests in Fort Worth for about a month before they are accepted by the Air Force.
Deliveries of the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing variant to the Marine Corps also begin this year, while deliveries of the F-35C carrier variant to the Navy start next year, according to the new production schedule.