F-35A AF-6 releases inert B61-12 during a dual capable aircraft (DCA) test flight in the skies above Edwards Air Force Base, California, on Nov. 25, 2011. (All images: DoD)
The Aviationist: Here Are The First Photos Of The F-35A Jets Dropping Inert B61-12 Nuclear Bombs During DCA Tests
The F-35 Joint Program Office has released a bunch of images showing DCA (Dual Capable Aircraft) tests involving the release of inert nuclear bombs.
It is not a secret that the F-35A, the CTOL (Convetional Take Off and Landing) variant of the Lightning II aircraft, will be dual capable aircraft (DCA), meaning that it will have the ability to deliver nuclear ordnance as well as conventional weapons. Such dual capability is expected to be included in the Block 4 software release, with initial capability for the B61-12 weapon. Although the F-35A DCA is scheduled to achieve nuclear certification in January, 2023, testing at the 461st FLTS, the test squadron that oversees developmental testing of all variants of the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II at Edwards Air Force Base, California, has started in 2019.
Images just released by the F-35 Joint Program Office (the Department of Defense’s agency responsible for developing and acquiring the F-35A/B/C) show various drop tests of inert nuclear bombs between 2019 and 2020.
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Update: Pentagon Release First Images Of Stealth Jets Dropping Inert Nuclear Bombs (Zero Hedge)
WNU Editor: It looks like the Pentagon is preparing stealth fighter jets for the next military conflict with nuclear bombs.
