the winning design from May 2001 into September of that year.--Stephen V Cole

Boeing's X-32A Joint Strike Fighter prototype made its first flight on 18 Sept, traveling from the factory in Palmdale, California to Edwards Air Force Base for five months of flight tests. The Lockheed Martin X-35A is expected to fly in a few weeks. The X-35A continues to have problems with its lift fan. In a recent failure, a nut worked loose and contacted the fan blade, sending metal shavings into the lubricating system. When the oil filter detected the metal shavings, the test