I recall some time ago there was a post here regarding an article which stated the F-35C might not be capable of making traps due to it's hook geometry in relation to the proximity of the main gear. To be honest, the argument made by some in the Aeronautical Engineering community made some sense but there were plenty of other Engineers who felt there would be no problem. I know they changed the hook shape(which is not necessarily uncommon during testing & refinement of such aircraft) but even so, looking at the landing, the trap looked as normal as any other aircraft. The question now is what they find in the test data from these initial trials and if anything needs to be addressed. So far, so good.
I have heard that some consider the F-35C model to be the most capable of the 3 due to it's increased wing area and strengthened structure. The maneuver and AoA testing has shown the F-35A can easily maintain and exceed turn rates on all current fighters in the US inventory except the F-22 but the AoA capability of the F-35 is exceptional and nearly on par with thrust vectoring fighters. The maneuverability in the C model will likely be better with the increased wing area but the untold side of all this is still the core weapon and sensor systems (like the DAS coupled with the AIM-9X Block II/III and AIM-120D) will give the F-35 true all aspect kill capability including over-the-shoulder shots. Not even the F-22 possesses such capability. I saw an F-35 pilot on TV the other day who spoke about the core capability of the jet and he noted that when they finally debut at Red Flag, it's going to be a major shock to the world fighter community.
