STRIKE FIGHTER TESTING BEGINS FLIGHTS KEYING ON SENSORS.

Byline: Daily News

Lockheed Martin says test flights have begun in Maryland on electronic sensor, radar and targeting systems for the F-35 joint strike fighter.

The nine-month test program, using flights over the Patuxent River Naval Air Warfare Center, is intended to reduce the development risk of the F-35 JSF's ``fusion functionality'' by evaluating key concepts in advance.

The F-35's ``fusion'' capability combines and prioritizes information gathered from the aircraft's sensors and radioed to it from other sources.

The two-phase flight-test program uses a Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems BAC 1-11 jet. For the first phase, the jet carried performance- representative sensors, a fourth-generation Active Electronically Scanned Array multiradar built by Northrup Grumman and the Electro-Optical Targeting Demonstration System developed by Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.

In addition, the Northrop Grumman Distributed Aperture System sensors will be installed during most flights to collect infrared images on a stand- alone basis.

Phase One tests began on Aug. 18 and another occurred in September. During the initial development flights, a Sabreliner jet was visible to the targeting system in excess of 30 nautical miles. The radar detected targets from the rear and below.

``Both flights went very well - enough to cover all planned target- detection test points plus a few extras,'' said Tom Burbage, Lockheed Martin executive vice president and general manager of the F-35 JSF program. ``We can now focus on characterizing the sensors' trackers in preparation for integrating with the fusion software.''

Phase Two of the flight-test program, set to begin this month, will integrate the sensors with the Lockheed Martin-developed fusion software.

The six-month Phase Two test effort will culminate in the tracking of multiple F/A-18 fighter jets flying like enemy planes would in combat.

The F-35 team will use the flight-test program's sensor data to validate the ground-based simulation tools that evaluate fusion algorithms.

Stealthy and supersonic, the F-35 is designed to replace a number of Air Force and Navy fighter and strike aircraft. It is also expected to be sold overseas. Among the aircraft the F-35 will replace are the AV-8B Harrier, A-10, F-16, F/A-18 and United Kingdom's Harrier GR.7 and Sea Harrier.

Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 in conjunction with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems.