BOEING FLIES FIRST FIGHTER TEST FLUID LEAK CUTS SHORT JET'S OUTING.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - Boeing flew its first joint strike fighter prototype Monday, kicking off a flight-test program leading to the awarding of what is being called the richest aircraft production contract in history.

Piloted by Boeing JSF Chief Test Pilot Fred Knox, the airplane took off shortly before 8 a.m. from Air Force Plant 42 and landed 20 minutes later at Edwards. The flight had been planned to last between 30 to 40 minutes, but was cut short because of a hydraulic fluid leak.

``The airplane's a pleasure to fly,'' Knox said afterward. ``It has outstanding flying qualities. That was obvious from rotation to landing.''

The aircraft flew at speeds of about 220 mph and got up to 10,000 feet in altitude. During the flight, Knox made initial airworthiness tests, including flying qualities and subsystems checkout.

A chase plane pilot saw the hydraulic fluid coming from the right side of the aircraft right after takeoff. As a safety precaution, the flight was cut short.

Knox deemed the leak ``a nonevent'' and suspected that it was the result of a loose fitting. The aircraft will fly again this week as planned, he said.

Despite the shortened flight, Knox said he was about to get about 80 percent of the test completed. The remainder will be picked up during the next flight, Knox said.

The first flight will be a morale booster for the Boeing team, showing it knows how to lay out objectives and work toward them, said company President Harry Stonecipher.

``There's no bigger high when you work on an airplane than first flight,'' Stonecipher said. ``When you stand there and watch it leave the ground, that's when your heart starts to pound.''

The X-32A is one of two concept demonstrators Boeing is building for the Joint Strike Fighter program. The X-32A will demonstrate conventional takeoff and landing for the Air Force and carrier approach flying qualities for the Navy.

The X-32B, which will fly in early 2001, will demonstrate short takeoff and vertical landing requirements for the Marine Corps and the British Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.

The joint strike fighter is being developed to replace the Air Force's aging F-16s and A-10s, the Marine Corps AV-8B and F-18C/D, and the United Kingdom's Sea Harrier and GR-7. It also will complement the U.S. Navy's F-18E/F.

Combined, the U.S. military and United Kingdom plan to buy more than 3,000 of the jets. There is a potential for an equal number of foreign sales.

Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Canada, Italy, Singapore and Turkey have all expressed interest in buying the jet.

Boeing is competing with Lockheed Martin for the production contract for the fighters. The contract to build the joint strike fighters could ultimately be worth $750 billion to $1 trillion, counting foreign sales and providing modifications and support for the aircraft over 20 to 30 years.

Both Boeing and Lockheed Martin officials said there was no significance in flying first in terms of getting better positioned to win the production contract.

``This is a marathon, not a sprint,'' said Jerry Daniels, president of Boeing Aircraft and Missiles. ``There's a long way to go.''

The JSF contract is the only major military aircraft production contract on the horizon.

``It will be a major issue for whatever company doesn't win it,'' Daniels said. ``When there's only one competition in town, we don't want to think about the alternative (losing).''

The flight testing will last about a year. The first half of the testing will be done at Edwards, the rest at the Navy's flight test center at Patuxent River, Md.

The Defense Department is looking at three objectives in the testing: commonality in components among the JSF variants; low-speed carrier approach flying and handling qualities; and short takeoff, transition, hover and vertical landing.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) A hydraulic fuel leak forced the Boeing prototype to cut short its first test flight, but the test pilot termed the leak a ``nonevent.''

Boeing

(2 -- color) Boeing's joint strike fighter prototype, right, is escorted on Monday's test flight by a jet fighter at Edwards Air Force Base.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News