F-35 demos successful vertical landing

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NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md., March 19 (UPI) -- U.S. defense company Lockheed Martin said its F-35B Lightning II aircraft successfully completed a vertical landing.

Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor on the F-35B Lightning II multirole fighter aircraft program, says its F-35 short takeoff and vertical landing aircraft platform successfully demonstrated a vertical landing.

The test, which took place at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, demonstrated the F-35B's hovering capabilities and the aircraft then descending from 150 feet onto a designated target area. The successful demonstration marked a milestone for the F-35 program.

"Today's vertical landing of the F-35 BF-1 aircraft was a vivid demonstration of innovative technology that will serve the global security needs of the (United States) and its allies for decades to come," Robert Stevens, Lockheed Martin chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.