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2h ago

F-35A Clears Key Meteor Ground Tests, Edging Toward Flight Trials

One final ground trial now separates the Italian-sponsored F-35A effort from flight tests under the Block 4 program.

Two Meteor missiles are mounted in the F-35A weapons bay where clearances to aircraft structure, systems and adjacent stores are measured to ensure the missile can be safely stowed and deployed. (Image credit: F-35 JPO)

Overview

  • Engineers at Edwards Air Force Base completed ground vibration testing and internal-bay fit checks that validated safe stowage and release of Meteor from the F-35A while preserving the jet’s low-observable profile.
  • The F-35 Joint Program Office, MBDA and Lockheed Martin said a single remaining ground test must be passed before the program can move to airborne trials.
  • Program images showed both single- and dual‑missile configurations inside the F-35A’s weapons bay as technicians measured structural responses and clearances across vibration frequencies.
  • Italy sponsors the F-35A campaign while the UK leads the F-35B effort, which earlier included inert Meteor flights on a US Marine Corps F-35B from Naval Air Station Patuxent River to gather environmental data.
  • Meteor integration is tracked under Block 4 with fielding targeted for the early 2030s, and the ramjet-powered missile’s throttleable propulsion and datalink are expected to expand the F-35’s beyond-visual-range engagement envelope.