F-35B conducts vertical ‘flight’ without engine

A US Marine Corps CH-53K King Stallion helicopter has transported an inoperable F-35B Lightning II airframe from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, according to the US Navy.

The F-35, known as BF-1, was the first aircraft of its type to perform a vertical landing. It had been stripped of its propulsion and mission systems, outer wings and other equipment before being transferred for use as a permanent static display at MCAS Beaufort.

The heavy-lift mission was carried out on 27 August by a Marine aircrew from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 (HMH-461), based at MCAS New River, North Carolina.

“This mission’s success exemplifies the professionalism, commitment, and capability that exists at HMH-461,” said Lieutenant Colonel Bagley, Commanding Officer of the squadron. “I am incredibly proud of the team here and extremely grateful for the support and collaboration that occurred between each group, station, agency, and program office that played a role.”

The CH-53K lifted the 22,000-pound airframe with what officials described as “ample power margin and range.” Colonel Kate Fleeger, programme manager for the H-53 Heavy Lift Helicopters Program Office (PMA-261), said the demonstration underscored the platform’s utility. “The aircraft completed the lift of the 22,000-pound F-35B with ample power margin and range, underscoring how the platform provides unmatched support to joint operations,” she noted.

This marks the second time the King Stallion has been used to move an F-35 following completion of its flight test activities. According to Fleeger, the helicopter has already supported multiple Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel (TRAP) missions since reaching initial operational capability in April 2022.

The mission was supported by a second CH-53K, which provided refuelling via Air-Delivered Ground Refuelling (ADGR). Bagley said that the platform represented a significant advance.

“The CH-53K is not merely an upgrade of the CH-53E, it represents a fundamental shift in how Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadrons can enable warfighting concepts like distributed aviation operations and maritime operations in a contested environment,” he said.

He added that HMH-461 expects to carry out further operations that rely on the helicopter’s heavy-lift capability. “This is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that we have been called upon to complete a mission that only this aircraft can undertake,” Bagley said. “This squadron remains ready and eager for the opportunity to provide this critical capability wherever it is needed most.”