# SRVL - A new way to land.



## Foxbat (Aug 14, 2018)

We're probably all familiar with the term VSTOL (Vertical/Short Take Off and Landing) as pioneered by the Harrier and the UK's Invincible Class carriers but now there's a new term and it's being pioneered by the new Queen Elizabeth carriers with their F35Bs.  SRVOL Shipboard Rolling Vertical Landing as seen by the simulation here: The unique way F-35 jets will land on HMS Queen Elizabeth

Apparently, it can allow aircraft to land safely whilst still carrying a full payload (handy if there's a aborted mission). It also decreases the strain and extends the lifespan of the vertical lift engines. Unlike the F35A,  F35B has a lift fan as well as vectored thrust engines. When  watching one land, a large flap can be seen opening directly behind the pilot - this is where the fan is located. 




No doubt, this will also be a useful technique for the US Marine Corps who are  being equipped with the F35B variant. With the plane coming in at around $85 million each, this technology application should keep the Whitehall and Pentagon  bean counters happy (although I suspect the number of brake pads required to be purchased may increase substantially).

I'm such a nerd when it comes to all things naval


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## Edward M. Grant (Aug 15, 2018)

I thought rolling landings were common for Harriers? It gets expensive to keep dumping missiles because you don't have enough thrust to land vertically with them.

Or maybe they only did that on land before. There wasn't a lot of space to roll on the old Harrier carriers.


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## Foxbat (Aug 16, 2018)

Maybe it was used for Harriers, in which case the inference of this article that it is a new technique is wrong. However, the only footage I've seen of Harrier/Carrier landing has been vertical. I think the rolling technique was certainly used on land but I can neither confirm or deny that it was used on the Invincible class.


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