Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II - "The Beast"

                   Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.

• Role :  Stealth multirole fighter
• Manufacturer : Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
• Developed from : Lockheed Martin X-35
• Produced : 2006 - present
• First flight : 15 December 2006; 13 years ago (F-35A)
• Number built : 535+  as of July 2020
• Unit cost : F-35A: US $77.9M (lot 14); F-35B: US $101.3M (lot14); F-35C: US $94.4M(lot14)
• Status : In service

Do you know your F-35 ABCs ?

There are three versions of the F-35 Lightning II, each with unique capabilities tailored to execute customers' diverse missions.

The Multi - variant,  Multirole  5th  Generation  Fighter

The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th Generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Three variants of the F-35 will replace the A-10 and F-16 for the U.S. Air Force, the F/A-18 for the U.S. Navy, the F/A-18 and AV-8B Harrier for the U.S. Marine Corps, and a variety of fighters for at least ten other countries.

This fighter aircraft is designed for many missions with advanced, integrated sensors built into every aircraft. Missions that were traditionally performed by small numbers of specialized aircraft, such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and electronic attack missions can now be executed by a squadron of F-35s, bringing new capabilities to many allied forces.

The F-35 is developed, produced, and supported by an international team of leading aerospace companies. As the prime contractor, Lockheed Martin continues its 100-year history of aircraft research and design with the Lightning II. Principal partners Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems build the center and aft fuselages, respectively. Northrop Grumman also brings its expertise in carrier aircraft and low-observable stealth technology to the F-35 program and supports logistics, sustainment, modeling and simulation and mission planning. BAE Systems contributes a rich heritage of capabilities, including short takeoff and Vertical landing experience, advanced lean manufacturing, flight testing and air systems sustainment. Pratt and Whitney builds the F-35's  F135 propulsion system, the world's most powerful fighter engine.

Why  the  F-35 ?

It  can  go  where  other  aircraft  can't :

Maintaining air superiority is essential to preserving global security and stability. The F-35 is designed to defeat today's most advanced threat systems both in the air and on the ground, as well as those expected to emerge in the decades to come. The ongoing advancement of fighter aircraft designs around the world reinforces the importance of the F-35's advanced capabilities and technologies. Enabled by global partnerships the F-35 offers unprecedented capability and supportability across the spectrum of military operations.

U.S. and allied fighter fleets are getting smaller and older. Since 1990, the U.S. Air Force fighter inventory has been cut in half and current Air Force fighter aircrafts are, on average, more than 25 years old. Numerous militaries around the world also need to recapitalize their aging fighter fleets with modern, more capable aircraft. The F-35 was designed to recapitalize allied fighter fleets and counter emerging threats.

Combat  Aircraft  F-35B  In  Action