F-35 RCS Acceptance Test Facility

Like the F-22, each production F-35 will undergo full RCS imaging measurements to verify that the aircraft’s stealth characteristics meet specifications. Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems in Ft. Worth, where F-35 final assembly takes place, has built a dedicated facility for RCS acceptance testing. (This facility is similar, though somewhat larger, than the facility The Howland Company designed for Lockheed Martin to support F-22 production in Marietta, Georgia.) The special requirements of this unique testing scenario–a large quiet zone, handling full-scale aircraft in a production environment, and the need to accomplish testing quickly and with high confidence–have resulted in a unique, state-of-the-art production test facility. When F-35 production reaches peak rates, Lockheed Martin plans to cycle one aircraft per day through the Acceptance Test Facility.

To assess the performance of the completed F-35 Acceptance Test Facility, Lockheed asked The Howland Company to perform field probe measurements. We designed a high-accuracy, 50-foot tower probe system with motion control and RF subsystems which interface with the measurement system’s instrumentation radar. We also delivered a custom data reduction and analysis software package developed by CompuQuest. We completed an extensive set of vertical and horizontal scans at both vertical and horizontal polarizations and 256 frequencies. Using the field probe data and CompuQuest’s analysis software, Lockheed’s engineers were able to confirm that the measurement system is performing well within the parameters required for F-35 RCS imaging tests.

Lockheed Martin has issued a press release about the Acceptance Test Facility.