Skypirate at RAAF Williamtown 12 Feb 2024

[skypirate]

I stopped ay the end of runway 12 for about 40 minutes from around 10 am, and was lucky to see a couple of Hawks (no pics, sorry) and about a dozen F-35s launching from runway 12.



Is that a stealth-defeating radar reflector under the nose?



Noisy buggers!



Unusual to see the missile launch rails plus one AIM-9X:



That undernose bump looks like some kind of forward-facing window in these pics.



Howzat?

David

[PaulBradley]

Very cool and great photos, David!

The thing under the nose is the Electro-Optical Targeting System. or EOTS:

https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/pr ... -eots.html

Here's a closer shot:

[skypirate]

Aha! Thanks, Paul!

David

[Stuart]

Very nice shots David - so are we going to see an F-35 on your bench soon?

[iggie]

Great photos David!
I agree regarding the noise, when we get them on the range here, they are far noisier than any other visitor!

[skypirate]

Very nice shots David - so are we going to see an F-35 on your bench soon?

Definitely not, Stuart. No interest in featureless, boring, grey jets.
Bring on more purposeful, unstealthy subjects like Barracudas, Be-12s, etc..

David

[iggie]

Very nice shots David - so are we going to see an F-35 on your bench soon?

Definitely not, Stuart. No interest in featureless, boring, grey jets.

Says the person who was very excited by all the Typhoons flying over us at East Kirkby and taking from Coningsby...just sayin' like

[PaulBradley]

We had 5 F-35s up from Luke one night last week, doing circuits and bumps around 9pm - scared the living daylights out of many residents in the town!! They were REALLY LOUD!!!

[skypirate]

Very nice shots David - so are we going to see an F-35 on your bench soon?

Definitely not, Stuart. No interest in featureless, boring, grey jets.

Says the person who was very excited by all the Typhoons flying over us at East Kirkby and taking from Coningsby...just sayin' like

In my defence, it had been quite a while since I thrilled to the sight and sound of military fast jets.
Twin Merlins turning on the East Kirkby Mossie was an equal thrill!

David

[Stuart]

Very nice shots David - so are we going to see an F-35 on your bench soon?

Definitely not, Stuart. No interest in featureless, boring, grey jets.

Says the person who was very excited by all the Typhoons flying over us at East Kirkby and taking from Coningsby...just sayin' like

In my defence, it had been quite a while since I thrilled to the sight and sound of military fast jets.
Twin Merlins turning on the East Kirkby Mossie was an equal thrill!

David

LOL!!! I can hardly blame you, having built an F-35 I did have to stop myself from falling asleep, and I LIKE boring grey jets