About F-35 (2024)

FAQs

About F-35? ›

The F-35 is designed to provide the pilot with unsurpassed situational awareness, positive target identification and precision strike in all weather conditions. Mission systems integration and outstanding over-the-nose visibility features are designed to dramatically enhance pilot performance.

The F-35 has the most advanced sensor suite of any fighter in history, including the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, Distributed Aperture System (DAS), Electro Optical Targeting System (EOTS) and advanced electronic warfare capabilities to locate/track enemy forces, jam radars and disrupt attacks.

Across the military there are about 630 F-35s—with plans to buy about 1,800 more. The Air Force, Marines, and Navy each have their own versions of the F-35. Projected costs for sustaining the F-35s have continued to rise from $1.1 trillion in 2018 to $1.58 trillion 5 years later (a 44% increase).

The F-35 program has been struggling to field a computing upgrade that will enable the jet to use new weapons. This Technology Refresh 3 has been delayed multiple times and the Pentagon still doesn't know when it will be fully ready.

Each aircraft or missile system designation has one letter to denote its primary func- tion or capability; e.g. “B” for bomber, “F” for fighter, etc.

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II stands as the pinnacle of fifth-generation fighter development, embodying the latest advancements in combat aircraft. With unmatched stealth features, sensor fusion, and the world's most powerful fighter engine, the F-35 sets new standards in aerial warfare.

Summary. The F-22 Raptor outperforms the F-35 Lightning II in speed and climb rate, making it a formidable interceptor. The F-35's versatility in armament surpasses the F-22, enabling it to serve various missions, including nuclear deterrence and air-to-ground strikes.

All the F-35 variants have a top speed of Mach 1.6, roughly equal to 1,200 mph and due to the weaponry being stored internally they can attain their top speed even with a full load of weapons.

How Much Does It Cost? The F-35's price per unit, including ancillary costs like depot maintenance, ground support equipment, and spare parts is $110.3 million per F-35A, $135.8 million per F-35B, and $117.3 million per F-35C.

"Historically, an aircraft without a pilot can fly a long way on autopilot," added Frederik Mertens, a strategic analyst with the Hague Center for Security Studies. "Without air-to-air refueling, the F-35 has a range of over 1,000 miles," retired Air Commodore Andrew Curtis, of Britain's Royal Air Force, told Newsweek.

Why does US export F-35 but not f22? ›

Because the F-22 is a much better air dominance fighter and has a higher level of stealth. The F-35 was deliberately designed with a lower level of stealth so that it can be exported without giving away America's greatest stealth secrets.

Projected by the United States as the best fifth-generation stealth fighter jet in the world, the F-35A Lightning II has not been effective in rain or during thunderstorms despite its cutting-edge capabilities and soaring global popularity.

The aircraft was first used in combat in 2018 by the Israeli Air Force.

Why was the two-seater F-18s primarily used in this film? Because even though the United States Navy certainly has fifth-gen aircrafts in its arsenal, including the F-35 Lightning, those are all single-seat aircrafts.

Billie Flynn spent years as a pilot in the testing program for the F-35 stealth fighter jet. He said the aircraft was very easy to fly and compared operating it to playing a video game. The fighter jet, he said, is incredibly capable and changed the understanding of what's possible in aerial warfare.

The F-35 is a truly multi-role aircraft that specializes in six different missions sets (Strategic Attack, Close Air Support, Air Superiority, Electronic Warfare, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), and Suppression Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) and Destruction Enemy Air Defense (DEAD)).

The F-35 made by Lockheed Martin is America's newest fifth-generation jet — built for ground attacks and air-to-air combat, and it has already seen some combat experience in the Middle East.