Today we will speak about the multirole fighter Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
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.
The Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed for many missions
with advanced, integrated sensors built into every aircraft.
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.
What is a "5th Generation" Fighter?
A 5th Generation fighter has advanced stealth, exceptional agility and maneuverability, sensor
and information fusion, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment.
5th Generation technology provides greater survivability, situational awareness, and
effectiveness for pilots.
As a true 5th Generation fighter, the F-35 has stealth designed in as part of the aircraft
from the beginning.
The F-35 and the F-22 are the world's two premier fighters, but there are some differences
between the aircraft.
The F-35 is optimized to be a multirole fighter, with the ability to perform air-to-air, air-to-ground
and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
While the F-22 is superior to the F-35 in air-to-air missions, the F-35’s air-to-air
capability is superior to all other fighters.
The F-35 is better than any other fighter aircraft, including the F-22, for air-to-ground
strike missions.
Engines: The Pratt & Whitney F135 powers the F-35.
An alternative engine, the General Electric/Rolls-Royce F136, was being developed until it was cancelled
by its manufacturers in December 2011 for lack of funding from the Pentagon.
The F-35 has a maximum speed of over Mach 1.6.
With a maximum takeoff weight of 60,000 lb, the Lightning II is considerably heavier than
the lightweight fighters it replaces.
Armament: The F-35A is armed with a GAU-22/A, a four-barrel
version of the 25 mm GAU-12 Equalizer cannon.
The cannon is mounted internally with 182 rounds for the F-35A or in an external pod
with 220 rounds for the F-35B and F-35C.
The two outer hardpoints can carry pylons for the AIM-9X Sidewinder and AIM-132 ASRAAM
short-range air-to-air missiles only.
The other pylons can carry the AIM-120 AMRAAM BVR AAM, AGM-158 Joint Air to Surface Stand-off
Missile cruise missile, and guided bombs.
The external pylons can carry missiles, bombs, and external fuel tanks at the expense of
increased radar cross-section, and thus reduced stealth.
There are a total of four weapons stations between the two internal bays.
Two of these can carry air-to-surface missiles up to 2,000 lb in A and C models, or two bombs
up to 1,000 lb in the B model; the other two stations are for smaller weapons such as air-to-air
missiles.
The F-35 Block 4B will be able to carry two B61 nuclear bombs internally by 2024.