Much has been written in the media and 'blogged'on websites about Lockheed Martin's F-35II Joint Strike Fighter. And much ofthat coverage has been highly critical, even controversial; focussing on programme delays and budget overspends. Highly important as those aspects are, coverage ofthat nature overlooks one point - the aircraft itself. AIR International has been on the road, visiting production and flight test facilities around the world to compile this 48-page supplement. Its intention is to explain how the aircraft and its major systems work, and how the F-35 handles in flight based on accounts from the test pilots who fly it. The F-35 is undoubtedly unlike any fighter aircraft built to date, and is bristling with complex and revolutionary systems. In April 2010, the flight test programme under way at three test sites appears to be gathering pace with a significant increase in the total number of flights scheduled and more systems under test. Certainly the aircraft still has hurdles to overcome, but once clear of those, the F-35 Lightning II looks set to become the world's most advanced strike fighter.
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