F35 in flight (air to air) video footage

[Rheged]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/headlines/36692552

BBC report......haven't listened, just watched parts of it.

[Gondor]

In the report they say the aircraft refuelled thirteen times over the ten hour flight which if calculated as a simple sum means they have an endurance of only forty five minutes 

Gondor

[PR19_Kit]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/headlines/36692552

BBC report......haven't listened, just watched parts of it.

You didn't much, it was the usual cynical media approach to such things.......

Apparently three F-35s came across, and only one of them was a -B, so maybe the others are one each of the -A and -C? my source says there should have been six of them, but plans were changed.

[Martin H]

Looked like it could be a pair of B's plus one other. Some of the ground shots showed one of ours (a B) and a USMC bird (another B). I only saw air to air footage of the third bird. I guessing that would be a third B model to act as a spare ship for the show.

[PR19_Kit]

The vid looked as if the F-35 was refuelling from the aircraft from which the vid was being made. So what type was the tanker then?

The only western type that does that would seem to be a USMC tanker C-130, are there any others?

[kitnut617]

So 'three' aircraft into 13 refuels equals 4 times for each, but one must have refueled again. Where did they fly from though ?

[sandiego89]

In the report they say the aircraft refuelled thirteen times over the ten hour flight which if calculated as a simple sum means they have an endurance of only forty five minutes  

Gondor

Not at all.  Fighters on long overwater flights are routinely topped off to ensure they can divert to a field if there is a problem, such as a basket/probe problem.  There are few divert options with the Northern route the planes took over Canada, Greenland etc, so you always want as full tanks as you can get, thus numerous top offs.  Always better to have as full a tank as possible over long stretches of ocean or ice.   A very common procedure for long range "drags" across the pond.  

The F-35Bs were accompanied by 2 USAF KC-10's and perhaps 2 USMC KC-130's.  This would provide numerous baskets and redundancy if there was a divert of one/all of the fighters. And perhaps would even allow for the flight to continue if one of the tankers had an issue.  Overkill perhaps, but I imagine there was much interest in making sure the planes made it to the UK air shows this summer.  

I understand it was a northern route non-stop from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina to the UK.  

All three are B models- one UK, two USMC.  

-Dave

[PR19_Kit]

All three are B models- one UK, two USMC.  

-Dave

Jeepers, it's going to be LOUD at Fairford on Friday if all three do their VTOL bit at the same time!! 

[Captain Canada]

....if the country can afford it lol great way to end the segment !