The VJ 101 C featured an electronic flight control system, widely known as a 'fly-by-wire' arrangement. It was realised that it would be of critical importance to maintain controllability during the hover phase of flight, in particular the responsiveness of the engines and augmentation of the aircraft's stability. Control systems, developed by American firm Honeywell and Germany company Bodenseewerk, performed various functions across the flight regime of the VJ 101 C, including attitude control during hover and the transition from hover to horizontal aerodynamic flight. Two-channel control systems were initially used, but testing revealed the need for three-channel control systems to account for instances of hardover failures. Upon the switch to three-channel control systems, this enabled the system to be used through all flight ranges with thrust-vector control; the first such system to be developed. After the programme was no longer being pursued as a successor to the F104G Starfighter, it was retained as a development programme to explore and prove its flight control concepts.