Italian Air Force F-35A, F-35B Flown in “Beast Mode” for First Time
The Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) has flown its F-35A and F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter jets in ‘Beast Mode’ configuration for the first time.
The Beast Mode weapons configuration involves carrying weapons both inside the internal bay and also on the wing-mounted pylons. This maximum weapons configuration is possible when the stealth or low observability of the jet is not important for a particular combat mission.
Per la 1^ volta assieme in tutta la loro potenza! Missione addestrativa di #oggi: un F-35A ed un F-35B dell’#AeronauticaMilitare equipaggiati con armamento interno ed esterno, configurazione conosciuta come “Beast Mode”, scrive una nuova pagina di storia aeronautica. pic.twitter.com/YaLRQ2AEBp
— Aeronautica Militare (@ItalianAirForce) November 26, 2020
The Italian Air Force is the only service operating both the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) and F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variants of F-35.