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3w ago

F-35B Completes First Test Flight Carrying Four SPEAR 3 Missiles

The captive‑carry sortie moves mission‑systems work toward jettison trials as the MoD re‑baselines SPEAR 3's entry into service.

F-35B pictured carrying a half-load of four SPEAR 3 missiles during the test flight. (Image credit: Lockheed Martin)
F-35 SPEAR-3

Overview

  • An F-35B test aircraft at Naval Air Station Patuxent River carried four inert SPEAR 3 environmental data recorders in a captive‑carry flight flown by Royal Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nick Baker.
  • Flight data were collected and now feed analysis as teams prepare for the next technical steps: mission‑systems integration and jettison/ejection trials.
  • SPEAR 3 is a small turbojet cruise missile that uses inertial navigation, GPS and a datalink to strike moving targets at more than 100 km and is designed for internal carriage to preserve F-35 stealth.
  • The test was carried out by a multinational team from the F-35 Joint Program Office, the UK Ministry of Defence, the U.S. Navy, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Lockheed Martin and MBDA.
  • Programme timing remains uncertain as the MoD formally re‑baselines SPEAR 3 toward the early 2030s, a delay tied to F-35 Block 4 software work and hardware retrofits that will affect when squadrons can field the weapon.