Lockheed Martin photograph by Matthew Short
An F-35A conventional takeoff and landing aircraft completed the first in-flight weapons release of a 2,000 pound GBU-31 BLU-109 Joint Direct Attack Munition from a 5th Generation fighter, Oct. 16. The flight was conducted by Maj. Eric “Doc” Schultz, 461st Flight Test Squadron. The aircraft, known as AF-1, jettisoned an instrumented GBU-31 over the China Lake test range from the left internal weapons bay. The F-35A 5th Generation fighter is designed to carry a payload of up to 18,000 pounds using 10 weapon stations. The F-35A features four internal weapon stations located in two weapon bays to maximize stealth capability. The CTOL aircraft can also utilize an additional three external weapon stations per wing if required.
