9 Min F-35 Vid (A,B,and C)

[mo7stanley]

Here is a link to a 9 min F-35 video. The video has footage of the three models. It is at the bottom of the page. I did a quick search and didn't see anything about this posted already.

 

[eddie]

I just realized the canopy is burried in the fuselage. Good, bad, doesn't matter?

 

[invertedflyer]

Yeah I always wondered what the rearward visibility would be like? who knows....

 

[mo7stanley]

It seems that it would be similar to the Harrier

 

[MSkinsATC]

They are equipping the pilots with a special helmet/visor. The airplane have sensors and cameras on the skin. The new helmet/visor will allow them to look completely through the plane, in all directions...kinda like x-ray vision...I read it in one of Lockheed Martin's things, cant remember where I picked it up, but do some searches for it online, you should find some info there.

 

[RichardDelk]

They are equipping the pilots with a special helmet/visor. The airplane have sensors and cameras on the skin. The new helmet/visor will allow them to look completely through the plane, in all directions...kinda like x-ray vision...I read it in one of Lockheed Martin's things, cant remember where I picked it up, but do some searches for it online, you should find some info there.

Is there a purpose to this or is it just "because they can"? I mean, would it not be easier to just make a canopy like the Hornet where you can see easily without special cameras? Or is there a reason to design the canopy like they have in the F-35?

 

[Fly Navy]

Is there a purpose to this or is it just "because they can"? I mean, would it not be easier to just make a canopy like the Hornet where you can see easily without special cameras? Or is there a reason to design the canopy like they have in the F-35?

The Hornet canopy has nothing to do with the ability to see below you when you're straight and level...

The system is designed so that you can look down at your, say, leg and an image of what it is below your aircraft at that point would be projected on your helmet.

 

[RichardDelk]

Ah...I didn't think of seeing below the aircraft, just behind. Yeah, that would be quite useful. Thanks

 

[nugget81]

In the video the B model does a rotating hover. That's not something the Harrier can do, is it?

 

[invertedflyer]

I've seen a harrier do that on many occassions... if you want to see it just go to the Miramar Air Show... they do the harrier demo every year.

 

[nugget81]

Just learned something new....thanks!

 

[mo7stanley]

I think there was a really good video dealing with the rotation thing on this board somewhere. Rotated and backed up. pretty cool. I liked it so much it is on my desktop for further viewing. That is pretty cool with the helmet viewing thing. Maybe. "Oh man I dropped my pen again. Where is that thing. Holy moely!, I guess that's where it went."

 

[phrogdriver]

Is there a purpose to this or is it just "because they can"? I mean, would it not be easier to just make a canopy like the Hornet where you can see easily without special cameras? Or is there a reason to design the canopy like they have in the F-35?

I'm thinking that the lower canopy has to do with the low-observable, i.e. stealth, properties of the aircraft.

When someone said, "sensors on the skin of the aircraft," are we talking a FLIR slaved to the helmet, or something more high speed? You could probably feed radar and EW information into the helmet in something resembling 3D with the right technology.

I know the AH-1Z is supposed to have a helmet integrating FLIR and NVGs with regular vision, but seeing "through" the aircraft sounds pretty wild. I would hope someone is integrating a AIM-9 with the off-axis capability into the F35 setup, too.

 

[larbear]

The F-35A and F-35C appear to have much better rearward visibility than the X-35A and X-35C did.

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/data/assets/6355.jpg is side-view picture of the X-35A.

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/data/assets/12428.jpg is a picture of the first F-35A

The current 3-views posted on Lockheed's website still show the F-35B with a more limited canopy similar to what you see on the X-35. I've read speculation that this has something to do with the lift fan behind the cockpit, and that seems reasonable.

Interestingly, the pictures in LM press releases show the canopy to open by tilting forward. Does this seem strange to anyone? Could this be just for servicing and maybe not for for normal operations?

 

[invertedflyer]

The more limitd canopy IS because of the stabilizing turbine rear of the cockpit... as far as the cockpit I thought it opened to the side from what I saw.