The series of incidents that have befallen the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jet family has been in the spotlight, especially the dominant F-35B variant which has experienced various incidents for several years.
From several incidents on the F-35B, it is interesting to note that the pilot was able to eject safely, which directly raised the prestige of British ejection seat manufacturer, Martin Baker. However, did you know that there is something different about the ejection seat on the F-35B.
Although the three F-35 variants, namely the F-35A, F-35B and F-35C, both use the Martin Baker MK16 ejection seat (US16E ejection seat), it turns out that there are features that distinguish the Martin Baker MK16 on the F-35B, namely being the only one equipped with an auto-eject system (auto-eject system).
Quoted from TheDrive.com (21/12/2022), it was stated that there was a possibility that in the F-35B 'jumping' incident on December 15, 2022 on the runway of the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, Texas, the seat had been ejected automatically. The F-35B was then conducting flight tests prior to its official delivery.
In the video footage, the plane descends vertically at a relatively high speed. It then briefly landed, bounced back into the air, suddenly zoomed forward, and descended again, hitting the runway nose first. The F-35B briefly went back and forth as it circled into the grass.
The pilot was then seen ejecting while the plane was still moving. The main fear in such circumstances has to do with the plane rolling over, which can create a very dangerous ejection process.
The incident has highlighted the so-called “zero-zero” capability of the US16E ejection seat, which refers to its ability to function safely and save the pilot's life even when the aircraft has no forward airspeed or altitude, even when the aircraft is stationary on the ground. .
The existence of auto-eject capability is no secret, in fact it is listed among US16E features on the Martin-Baker website. The F-35B is the only Joint Strike Fighter version to have this system and is the first US aircraft with such a capability.
The inclusion of an auto-eject system on the F-35B is directly related to the complex way in which the aircraft achieves vertical flight. Lift in hover mode is provided by a large fan mounted vertically in the center of the jet's fuselage and from thrust from the Pratt & Whitney F135 jet engine, which is routed downward via articulated exhaust nozzles. The engine provides direct power to the lift fans via a large driveshaft mounted on a carbon clutch.
The three main variants of the F-35 are substantially different from one another, but the B variant in particular, down to its core structure, is due to this unique propulsion arrangement. There is no official information or explanation as to why the auto-eject system is installed on the F-35B.
Allegations surfaced that this was related to safety, if one day the plane loses thrust from the main engine, the plane will immediately go up, while if the plane loses the lift fan, the plane will immediately go down.
Due to these unique conditions, the possible reason for the auto-eject system is that the F-35B Lightning II has the capability of short take-off vertical landing (STOVL).
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