Boeing

Boeing lead short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing (STOVL) test pilot Dennis O'Donoghue climbs into the cockpit of the company's X-32B Joint Strike Fighter concept demonstrator prior to the start of low- and medium-speed taxi tests in Palmdale, Calif. The testing, successfully completed Jan. 8, was to verify function and integration of crucial aircraft systems. All propulsion-system components operated as designed and predicted. The X-32B will demonstrate the company's direct-lift approach to the STOVL requirements of the U.S. Marine Corps and the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Following high-speed taxi, the X-32B will begin flight test with an initial flight from Palmdale to test facilities at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.