Highlights of the Lockheed Martin F-35 STOVL jet effects programme

This paper presents the highlights of the F-35 STOVL Jet Effects (SJE) test effort during the complete four years of the System Development and Demonstration phase. A new 12%-scale F-35 SJE model was tested in the German-Dutch wind-tunnels Large Low Speed Facility in order to gather STOVL jet-induced Forces and Moments. Ten separate test entries were conducted, covering all STOVL flight regimes from pure hover in ground effect through transition to wing borne flight. This paper will present an overview of this program, including a detailed description of the wind-tunnel model, testing techniques, test conditions, and accomplishments.