The JSF C-variant (carrier based) had a hook that didn't work last year...they finally rectified it. When it comes to the F-35, there are a lot of engineering items that have been overlooked that are mindboggling.
Initial trials of the arresting system were conducted in 2011 at Lakehurst. The hook had several deficiencies, in part because a wire dynamics model provided by the government for the team to design against had faulty assumptions. Several components were redesigned and re-tested. During the first sea trials of the system in October 2014, two F-35C aircraft deployed to the USS Nimitz where the trials were highly successful:
"The F-35C test pilots have made approximately 100 traps on the Nimitz, and the three wire was caught so many times that the metal cable had to be replaced. The one wire, the cable furthest aft on the flight deck, hadn't been used at all, Wilson said."
What other engineering items have been overlooked that you believe are mindboggling?
