14 Comments
User's avatar
Gordon Gortex's avatar

That's an awful lot of expensive hardware to be flying around the sky! Fantastic air lift exercise, I guess, impressive expertise and precision.

Any reason they didn't just fly the F35 from one base to the other? ;-)

Expand full comment
Brandon S Smith's avatar

From the article on The War Zone, the F-35 is the remnants of the first test aircraft and no longer has an engine.

https://www.twz.com/air/check-out-this-marine-ch-53k-carrying-an-f-35c-while-refueling-from-a-kc-130j

Expand full comment
ABossy's avatar

Aw yeah. Beautiful manoeuvre.

Expand full comment
Dan's avatar

Hey, Ryan's got European viewers! Welcome!

Expand full comment
Gordon Gortex's avatar

The story puts everything in context. Fantastic external lift capability clearly demonstrated!

Expand full comment
Craig Homer's avatar

Looks like CF-1. Its just a shape. KC-130 looks like a KC-130T from VX-20. Mostly contractors (mostly retired/former Marines). The USMC test pilots are all "J" guys.

Expand full comment
Dan's avatar

hahah! The promo at the end was great. Reagan bringing the cooperation theme at the end was great, Ryan!

Expand full comment
ABossy's avatar

Huh. I just watched a YouTube of a huge whale that apparently beached itself trying to escape an orca attack. Nothing to do but watch it die. I couldn't help but think, "CH-53K!"

Expand full comment
Daniel Kunkle's avatar

Disaster was averted because no zeppelins were landing at Lakehurst at the time.

Expand full comment
Jon D's avatar

Why didn't they just fly the jet to the base?!?

Expand full comment
Daniel Kunkle's avatar

It was a test platform, probably one of the original airframes that's been used and abused in during the R&D phase of the F-35. There was no engine in the F-35.

Expand full comment
Jon D's avatar

Yea Ryan ended up answering that after I left the comment but tx!

Expand full comment
Erik S's avatar

Damn. That’s some serious skill.

Expand full comment