There have been a number of recent releases on the subject of F-35 captive carry missions. This is when the aircraft is loaded with weapons (often dummies) not for release, but to ensure that the plane can safely carry them in the flight regimes of interest. Next step is to make the live versions of these weapons talk to the avionics, then jettison them safely, then actually employ them in operationally-relevant flight conditions. Just carrying them around doesn't sound very sexy, but some of the biggest surprises can happen when you examine the plane's behavior with an asymmetric load (weapons on only one side of the plane, as if you have used one and still have not used the other). These can be wild rides. Have fun guys!
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/02/military-f-35-lockheed-readies-aggressive-test-schedule-022312d/
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