AF-1, an F-35A test aircraft at Edwards AFB, Calif., recently flew its final mission testing for clear wing flutter, announced prime contractor Lockheed Martin. This testing, conducted over the course of three years, was meant to ensure that the aircraft’s structure can withstand various aerodynamic loads, helping to certify its design, according to the company’s Feb. 11 release. “The testing demonstrated the F-35 is clear of flutter, at speeds up to 1.6 Mach and 700 knots with weapon bay doors open or closed,” states the release. The data collected prove that the F-35A’s flight dynamics maintain “a large margin between its designed airspeed and airspeeds where possible flutter could occur,” said the company.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.