Seems the F-35C, the CTOL version of JSF, too is having its fair share of problems. According to new reports "all eight run-in/rolling tests undertaken at NAS Lakehurst in August 2011 to see if the F-35C CV JSF could catch a wire with the tail hook have failed."
U.S. Navy and U.K. Royal Navy F-35 unable to get aboard ship
It seems there is not enough distance between the main landing gear and the tail hook, as a result of which, the main landing gears are interfering and preventing the arresting wires from getting caught in the tail hook. What is happening is that as the plane lands, the arresting wire ( which are held a few inches above the deck/ground) get pressed down by the main landing wheels as the wheels pass over them, then once the wheels are clear, the wire bounces back and should get snagged by the hook. But in this case the tail hook is too near the main landing wheels, hence passes over the wires, before they have bounced back completely.
Phew, quite a a big mistake made in a country having thousands of arrested landing experience. Guess the inexperience of Lockheed in carried design has shown up here, at such an advanced stage of the project.
This problem puts in perspective our Naval design effort for the LCA. In one interview, IIRC, it was said that the navy knows that the N-LCA would not provide it with the platform it wants on its carrier, but the design & work done in building it would provide us with the experience to design later what we want. Hence the naval support for the N-LCA. Such institutional support is required, so that our scientists can learn from actual trial & error and move ahead.
