F-35B sea trials with Italian carrier feature teamwork, achieve excellent results

Photo By F-35 Joint Program Office Public Affairs | WESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN (March 6, 2021) Flight deck personnel from the Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (CVH 550) and F-35 Patuxent River Integrated Test Force (ITF) refuel an F-35B aboard the Italian Navy flagship during sea trials March 6, 2021. Teamwork between the Cavour crew and ITF team is critical to the conduct of safe flight test during sea trials with the fifth generation fighter aircraft. Cavour is entering the second week of the first phase of its “Ready for Operations” campaign. Italian Navy photo  

WESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN, UNITED STATES

03.11.2021

Story by Michael Land and F-35 Joint Program Office Public Affairs

F-35 Joint Program Office

WESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN (March 11, 2021) — As the second week of F-35B sea trials aboard the Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (CVH 550) begins, talk of the test plan has turned to discussion of specific test points tallied, moving the Italian Navy one nautical mile closer to certification to operate the fifth generation fighter aboard its flagship.

Cavour set sail from Norfolk Naval Station, Virginia, Feb. 28, and specially instrumented developmental flight test jets from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 performed vertical landings for the first time March 1.

Since then, the embarked test team from F-35 Patuxent River Integrated Test Force (Pax River ITF) has partnered with the ship’s crew, working in some cases shoulder-to-socially-distant-shoulder to achieve test objectives.

“The first full week at sea has yielded great progress in our planned testing, and we are well on our way to capture all necessary data to permit the development of a highly useful and flexible operating bulletin for F-35 operations aboard ITS Cavour that will serve the Italian Navy well for decades to come,” said Andrew Maack, F-35 Pax River ITF chief test engineer and site director.

“The leadership of ITS Cavour recognizes that our unique and sometimes unconventional flight operations are necessary to make our sea trials objectives successful and they are pulling out all the stops to provide flexible and aggressively helpful cooperation in all ship departments at all levels in the organization," he said. "The partnership could not be stronger.”

The flight deck is visible evidence of the growing working relationships.

“Watching the teamwork that Italians and Americans are doing on the deck is truly rewarding and honorable. I am proud of the excellent results achieved in just one week of work,” said ITS Cavour commanding officer Italian Navy Capt. Giancarlo Ciappina. “The cooperation between the American ITF and the Cavour ship crew represents, today, the emblem of the historic link between Italy and the USA. We feel proud protagonists of these “pages of history” for the Italian Navy and we are grateful to the American staff who is working closely with us for this achievement.”

The ship’s rhythmic rise and fall—the horizon visible one moment, gone the next—and the sometimes “angry” sea with its white caps, are the backdrop for Cavour’s ponte di volo, or flight deck. On this ‘tela’, or canvas, per se, is a rainbow of life preserver vests, inside of each is a key partner in successful air operations.

“Watching the teamwork on the deck is exciting. There is an exchange of knowledge between the professionals and we are working to the best of our abilities and skills for the success of the Ready for Operations campaign of the aircraft carrier Cavour, milestone of the Italian Navy,” said Italian Navy Cmdr. Mario Massacci.

The F-35 Pax River ITF and ITS Cavour are conducting sea trials as part of Italian Navy’s “Ready for Operations” campaign that will bring the fifth generation fighter aircraft to the navy’s flagship.

For more information about the F-35 Lightning II, visit www.jsf.mil.

• Date Taken: 03.11.2021
• Date Posted: 03.12.2021 12:07
• Story ID: 391248
• Location: WESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN, US