F-35 ABCs Why Are There Three Variants
Earlier this year, the jets completed their first operational missions over Iraq and Syria and now
they are on their way to the United States for tests on board aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
Britan currently owns 17 F-35Bs and is expected to purchase 138 in total
The F-35 jet has three variants: the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant
the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant
the F-35C carrier variant (CV)
The three variants perform similarly and are mainly distinguished by their different basing requirements.
As a result, the F-35B and F-35C have unique ways to take off and land
due to their requirements for short take-off and landing or landing on carriers.
Using much of the same parts across the three variants allows for service-specific aircraft
while allowing for savings to be made as a result of parts and processes being common to all three variants.
The F-35A is the conventional takeoff and landing variant which is designed to operate from regular runways.
It is the only version to carry an internal cannon.
The F-35A is set to be the common F-35 as the US Air Force and the majority of their our allied air forces
and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) nations will operate the F-35A.
Look out for the F-35A in the skies above Suffolk as they are set to receive their first F-35As by 2021
before eventually maintaining two operational squadrons there.
They are not capable of operating from the UK's Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.
The F-35B model short takeoff/vertical landing variant will be used by the Royal Navy and RAF.
It was designed to operate from austere, short-field bases and a range of air-capable ships - including
the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers.
The F-35B can also take off and land conventionally from longer runways at major bases.
Each 'B' variant of the jet costs around $122.4m but Lockheed Martin say they expect this cost will be reduced in the future
starting with the F-35A and then moving on to the B and C.
The company said they will drive the 'A' model's price down to $80m.
In November, it was announced that Britain would more than double its number of F-35B aircraft after ordering a further 17 of the jets.
Britain eventually plans to have 138 F-35Bs.
The F-35C is the carrier variant, designed to be the US Navy’s first stealth fighter and the world’s only fifth Generation
long-range stealth strike fighter designed and built explicitly for aircraft carrier operations.
The F-35C variant has larger wings and more robust landing gear than the other variants
making it suitable for the US Navy's catapult launches and fly-in arrestments aboard naval aircraft carriers.
Its wingtips also fold to allow for more room on the carrier’s deck while deployed.
The F-35C has a greater internal fuel capacity than the other two F-35 variants.
F-35 DEMO