Newly Emerged Photos Show F-35C's Mirror-Like Coating with Damaged Tiles After Intensive Testing
Story by Stefano D'Urso • 8h
The photos, dated back to November 2022, show the second "chrome" F-35C with its peculiar mirror-like coating degraded over time during testing, before the aircraft was returned to its original livery.
Some previously unseen photos recently emerged online, showing one of the U.S. Navy's F-35Cs which received a peculiar mirror-like coating. The photos, kindly shared with us by @TimHPatriot, were captured at Midland airport, Texas, in November 2022 and show the F-35C BuNo 168842 parked on the ramp.
Notably, the tiles of the coating appear to be heavily degraded or corroded. According to the photographer, the pilot said the coating "were to help with the salty air on the skin, but the tiles kept peeling off in flight." If the pilot's explanation was correct, this would be in contrast with one the most likely theory that was shared so far, the reduction of the infrared (IR) signature of the aircraft.
It would make sense for the tiles to peel off in flight if they were not just painted, but applied over the F-35's paint with an adhesive, similarly to vinyl films which are often used to temporarily apply special markings or liveries to aircraft. As for the salty air, another F-35C with a similar coating was tested aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) aircraft carrier, while the one in the photo and another one were often spotted in the desert environments of Nellis AFB, Nevada, and Edwards AFB, California.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/newly-emerged-photos-show-f-35c-s-mirror-like-coating-with-damaged-tiles-after-intensive-testing/ar-AA1zko0T?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=29b251cb22574b6f9f67a89f111079e8&ei=37
