March 22, 2001 -- Boeing successfully cleared the last ground-test hurdle for flight certification of the Joint Strike Fighter X-32B concept demonstrator, completing engine runs in the short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing (STOVL) mode at the company's facility in Palmdale, CA. The engine runs were the culmination of a series of tests in which Boeing demonstrated the ease and operational flexibility of direct lift. The runs were completed with Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce flight-certified propulsion system hardware and the final validated integrated flight and propulsion control software.