Royal Navy pilot flies first F-35B Meteor missile release test

First release from internal bay

An F-35B has released an inert Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile from its internal weapons bay for the first time. The trial took place at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland on 7th October and was announced by MBDA and the F-35 Joint Program Office on 5th November.

The sortie was flown by a Royal Navy test pilot from the Air and Space Warfare Centre, working with the joint UK-US F-35 Integrated Test Force. The weapon test asset was dropped from the internal bay without its rocket motor firing or control surfaces activating. The purpose was to confirm it could separate safely from the aircraft and gather aerodynamic data to refine models used ahead of more demanding release trials.

Programme details

The F-35B used in the test is attached to the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Three (VX-23), whose F-35Bs have already flown captive carry trials at NAS Pax River with the Meteor in February 2025. The trials are conducted by a joint U.S./UK team attached to the F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF), composed of personnel from the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Lockheed Martin.

Broader support comes from the U.S. Department of War, the UK’s Ministry of Defence and Italy’s Ministero della Difesa. Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, MBDA and Northrop Grumman are also involved in the trials.

The UK is leading the Meteor integration campaign for the F-35B, while Italy is sponsoring the integration onto the F-35A model. The Italian Air Force operates both the F-35A and F-35B, while the Italian Navy, the RAF and the Royal Navy operate only the F-35B STOVL variant. However, the RAF is in the process of acquiring also a number of F-35As.

Next steps

The F-35 JPO said the jettison trial “successfully demonstrated the safe separation of the missile from the F-35B’s internal weapons bay in a complex aerodynamic environment.” The test will now validate and refine “aerodynamic digital models used to assess weapons-release characteristics” before live firings.

MBDA explained that jettison testing “evaluates how cleanly and safely a missile detaches from a host aircraft or launch platform under normal operating conditions or during an emergency abort.” The company further explained that “these tests ensure the weapon separates cleanly without impacting the fuselage, damaging wing structures, or disrupting the vehicle’s flight dynamics.”

Over the coming months, the Meteor will be put through “a series of release profiles […] to validate safe separation across the F 35’s operational envelope.” The company said that “these developmental releases will culminate in live firings to confirm both separation and weapon fly-out performance under varying release conditions.”

Why it matters

Meteor integration will eventually give British F-35Bs a substantial improvement in beyond-visual-range air combat compared with their existing AIM-120 AMRAAM armament. The RAF has had Meteor in service for almost eight years on the Typhoon, yet its F-35Bs are still some way from being able to employ it. Progress integrating UK weapons with F-35 has been slow, and neither Meteor nor the SPEAR-3 precision strike missile is yet available operationally on the Lightning.

Sources

• navylookout.com: Royal Navy pilot conducts first F-35B Meteor missile release test - Navy Lookout
• theaviationist.com: F-35B Releases Meteor BVRAAM for the First Time - The Aviationist

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.