The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole fighter. US Marine Corps version
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole fighters undergoing final development and testing by the United States. The fifth generation combat aircraft is designed to perform ground attack and air defense missions. The F-35 has three main models: the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant, the F-35B short take-off and vertical-landing (STOVL) variant, and the F-35C carrier-based Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) variant. On 31 July 2015, the first squadron was declared ready for deployment after intensive testing by the United States Marines. On 2 August 2016, the US Air Force declared its first squadron of F-35As was combat-ready. The F-35 is descended from the X-35, which was the winning design of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. It is being designed and built by an aerospace industry team led by Lockheed Martin. Other major F-35 industry partners include Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney and BAE Systems. The F-35 took its first flight on 15 December 2006. The United States plans to buy 2,457 aircraft. The F-35 variants are intended to provide the bulk of the manned tactical airpower of the Air Force, Navy and the Marine Corps over the coming decades. Deliveries of the F-35 for the military are scheduled to be completed in 2037 with a projected service life up to 2070. The F-35B is the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the aircraft. Similar in size to the A variant, the B sacrifices about a third of the A variant's fuel volume to accommodate the vertical flight system. Vertical takeoffs and landings are riskier because of threats such as foreign object the F-35A is stressed to 9 g, the F-35B's stress goal is 7 g. The British Royal Air Force and Royal Navy plan to introduce the F-35B as a replacement for the F-35 will be based at Royal Air Force Marham and become operational in 2018.
Size: 6159px × 4080px
Location: Farnborough, Hants, UK
Photo credit: © Avpics / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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