Norway’s F35s use drag chutes

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

For stopping on icy runways….

 

Inside a mountain underneath the Bardufoss Air Station, about 80 km northeast of Narvik and 400 km west of the nearest part of the border with Russia, the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) has reactivated an underground hangar complex from the cold war era.

The F-35s in these pictures have a distinct "lump" between the tail fins. This is a pod containing a drag chute that can be deployed to help slow down when landing on icy runways in rough arctic winter weather. Currently, this is a unique feature for Norway's F-35s.

 

 

[Texas Lizard]

With ice on the runway...That drag chute is going to work a lot better than the brakes....Spinning around in circles on the runway....Does not sound like a lot of fun...

 

Texas Lizard