Sure, the F-35 is stealthy. But can it handle icy roads?

WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin will be testing whether its F-35 jets can battle an icy runway.

According to a company statement, the F-35 Lightning II testing is part of the certification process for the Royal Norwegian Air Force. It will continue over the next several weeks in Alaska.

The initial testing is the first of two phases to make sure the F-35 can operate in the challenging weather conditions. The second phase of testing will be in 2018 and test the Norwegian drag chute’s landing capabilities.

Weather has posed some challenges for the F-35 in the past. Early development revealed the need for modifications for lightning protection — a problem with the electrical and fuel tank systems that were fixed. The issue resurfaced earlier this year in Australia, however, when the F-35 had to depart the March Avalon Airshow early, because the modifications had not yet been completed on the two visiting Australian aircraft.

More In Air Warfare

Lockheed to supply Australia with air battle management system

Overhauling Australia’s overhead defenses is expected to generate hundreds of local jobs as well as open the door to a multibillion-dollar export market.

Defense Innovation Unit prepares to execute $800 million funding boost

DIU Director Doug Beck said he doesn’t foresee any issues with quickly putting to work the $983 million in FY-24 funding Congress provided in March.

Army may swap AI bill of materials for simpler ‘baseball cards’

"We know innovation's happening in the open-source environment," said the Army's Bharat Patel. "We also know who's contributing to the open source."

How L3Harris is shoring up its small satellite supply chain

The president of L3Harris’ space systems sector, recently sat down with C4ISRNET to discuss the challenges of developing a diverse yet mature supply base.

From customer to sanctioned ‘proliferator,’ drones extend Iran’s reach

Iranian contractors and government officials have picked up on market demand, frequenting arms expos and other events in Russia, Iraq, Qatar and more.