METEOR F-35 integration has completed its first jettison trial. Further tests under different flight conditions and live missile firings are planned for the next stages of the programme.
MBDA announced the completion of a significant milestone in METEOR F-35 integration. During a test conducted in the United States on 7 October, the METEOR missile was jettisoned from the internal weapons bay of an F-35B fighter aircraft for the first time. The successfully completed development test marked the first in a planned series of in-flight jettison trials for METEOR F-35 integration. Jettison trials are conducted to assess whether a missile can safely separate from its carrier aircraft or launch platform under normal flight conditions or in emergency abort situations. These tests examine whether the missile can separate without striking the aircraft’s fuselage, damaging its wing structures or adversely affecting its flight dynamics.
New Test Phases in METEOR F-35 Integration
The flight test confirmed that the METEOR missile separated safely from the aircraft despite the complex aerodynamic conditions within the F-35’s internal weapons bay. Data obtained from the test contributed to the refinement of digital prediction models used to assess the missile’s separation characteristics, which will support the next METEOR F-35 trials. Further tests under different jettison conditions are planned for the coming months, with the aim of confirming that the missile can separate safely throughout the F-35’s operational flight envelope. Following the development tests, the programme will proceed to live missile firing trials. These trials will assess the missile’s separation performance as well as its flight performance under different release conditions.
UK and US Joint Team in METEOR F-35 Tests
The test munition was prepared and loaded onto the aircraft by the F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF), comprising UK and US personnel. The team included personnel from the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Lockheed Martin. The test flight was conducted by a Royal Navy test pilot assigned to the F-35 Integrated Test Force and affiliated with the Air and Space Warfare Centre (ASWC).
The work was also supported by the Italian Ministry of Defence, alongside the UK and US defence ministries. According to MBDA, progress in METEOR F-35 integration directly contributes to the development of the UK’s and Italy’s air combat capabilities. The company stated that this progress expands the air-to-air weapon options available to the UK and Italy while strengthening their combat effectiveness.
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Source: C4Defence– MBDA
