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Product Type: |
5th Generation Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft |
Using Service (US): |
Air Force (USAF), Navy and Marine Corps |
Program Status: |
In Production (LRIP) |
Prime Contractors: |
Lockheed Martin Corporation
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The Lockheed Martin
F–35 Lightning II aka Joint
Strike Fighter (JSF) is a fifth generation single-seat single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft developed
for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, and allied nations. The F-35 is developed from the X-35,
the winning prototype aircraft in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program - selected over Boeing's
X-32 design. The F-35 has a low radar cross section due to the radar
absorbent "stealthy" materials used on the aircraft.
Also, the shape of the F-35 makes it more difficult to detect on radar.
The F-35 is the DoD's most expensive weapon system ever and schedule delays and cost overruns have dogged the aircraft's development.
The total program cost has soared from $233 billion to an estimated $390.9 billion. Recent estimates suggest
the F-35 program could exceed $1 trillion over 50 years.
The F-35 is a fifth generation strike fighter which entails increased performance, stealth signature and
countermeasures. The advanced avionics, data links, and adverse weather precision targeting incorporate the
latest technology available. The highly supportable, affordable, state-of-the-art aircraft is designed to command and
maintain global air superiority.
The F-35 is equipped with the Northrop Grumman
AN/APG-81 AESA radar system and AN/AAQ-37 electro-optical distributed aperture system (EO DAS).
The F-35 pilot will wear a helmet-mounted display system (F-35 HMDS)
from VSI (VSI is a joint venture between Elbit Systems and Rockwell Collins).
The targeting system on the F-35 is the Lockheed Martin AN/AAQ-40 Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS).
Other equipment on the F-35 include the Martin-Baker US16E ejection seat, Cobham retractable probe for aerial refueling
located on the right side of the forward fuselage; Honeywell
Air Management and Life Support Systems; General Electric
standby flight display system, electrical power management system, remote input/output data concentrator unit, weapons control and data electronics,
and actuation systems. Also, Goodrich (now United Technologies)
builds the landing gear for the F-35.
The fuselage is made by Lockheed Martin (forward fuselage)
and Northrop Grumman (center fuselage),
while BAE Systems produces the aft fuselage and tails. Terma manufactures composite conventional edges for the horizontal tails
and advanced lightweight composite components for the center fuselage. Alliant Techsystems
(ATK) makes the seven-piece upper wing skin,
lower wing skins, engine nacelle skins, inlet ducts, and the upper wing strap.
In total, more than 20,000 individual components are used on the F-35.
The F-35 Lightning II will meet U.S. Air Force Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) requirements with the F-35A, the Marine Corps'
Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) requirements with the F-35B variant, and Navy Carrier Variant (CV) requirements
with the F-35C. A high degree of commonality among the three variants will reduce life-cycle costs. The F-35B is the most complicated
of the three variants because it can take off and land vertically in less than 500 feet of space,
allowing the aircraft to be launched from small Navy ships and to drop down in confined areas.
The F-35 is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney F135
afterburning turbofan engine. The F-35A is powered by the F135-PW-100 which produces 25,000 pounds of thrust or 40,000 pounds with afterburner;
the F-35B is powered by the F135-PW-600 which produces 26,000 pounds of thrust or 38,000 pounds with afterburner as well as 40,000 pounds of vertical thrust (coupled to the Rolls-Royce LiftSystem);
and finally, the F-35C is powered by the F135-PW-400 which produces 25,000 pounds of thrust or 40,000 pounds with afterburner.
General Electric and Rolls-Royce
were developing a second engine for the F-35, however, in early December 2011, the companies stopped all development efforts on their F136.
The JSF partner nations (United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Denmark,
Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and Turkey) are all contributing to the development and production of the aircraft.
The potential market for the F-35 is estimated at 3,000-5,000 aircraft over the next 30 years.
The U.S. Navy plans to purchase 680 F-35B/C models (last delivery in 2029),
while the U.S. Air Force expects to purchase another 1,763 F-35A CTOL aircraft (last delivery in 2037)
- for a total of 2,443 F-35s planned for the U.S. military.
Lockheed Martin
delivered a total of 30 aircraft in 2012 (13 in 2011) including 11 F-35As, 18 F-35Bs, and one System Development and Demonstration F-35C aircraft.
The F-35A CTOL variant made its first flight on December 15, 2006 and flight testing is well underway.
In 2011, Lockheed Martin
conducted a total of 837 test flights with the F-35A. The F-35B STOVL made its first flight on June 11, 2008.
On October 25, 2011, the first F-35B production aircraft (named BF-6) made its inaugural flight
marking a significant milestone in the F-35 program. F-35 test and production aircraft flew 2,106 flights in 2012.
The F-35C CV made its first flight on June 7, 2010. On February 15, 2013, the first production model F-35C (named CF-6),
took flight and will be assigned to the U.S. Navy Fighter Attack Squadron 101 (VFA-101) at Eglin AFB.
In 2001, the United Kingdom committed to buy 138 F-35Bs but decided, in 2010, to go for the F-35C instead
due to the lower cost of this variant. In July 2012, the first British F-35 was delivered.
On December 20, 2011, in a deal worth up to $8 billion, Japan ordered 42 F-35s to replace its fleet of Boeing F-4 Phantom
aircraft. The F-35 was selected over the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Australia plans to buy 14 F-35s for $3.2 billion and is contracted to buy two aircraft to be delivered in 2014 and 2015.
On May 3, 2013, the Australian Government reaffirmed its long-term strategy to buy 100 F-35s.
Also, Israel has purchased a number of F-35As (designated F-35I) to be delivered in 2016/17.
On March 2, 2013, the Netherlands' second F-35 Lightning II CTOL test aircraft rolled out of the F-35 production facility.
The F-35 carries a wide range of ordnance. The aircraft has two internal weapons bays and six external under-wing hardpoints and one external under-fuselage hardpoint. It is equipped with General Dynamics GAU-22/A Equalizer 25mm four-barreled gatling gun (internal on the F-35A and externally mounted on the F-35B and F-35C) and carries AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, AGM-154 JSOW, AGM-158 JASSM, the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM), Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM), and GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs as well as several other types of ordnance. For more details, see specifications below.
The unit cost of the F-35A is $171.4 million (flyaway cost) or $197.0 million incl. support costs.
The airframe costs $86.21 million, the F135-PW-100
engine costs $14.97 million, and the avionics cost $26.54 million.
The unit cost of the F-35B is $172.6 million (flyaway cost) or $237.8 million incl. support costs.
The airframe costs $90.46 million, the F135-PW-600
engine (coupled to the Rolls-Royce LiftSystem) costs $28.57 million, and the avionics cost $24.98 million.
The unit cost of the F-35C is $186.5 million (flyaway cost) or $236.8 million incl. support costs.
The airframe costs $108.60 million, the F135-PW-400
engine costs $13.79 million, and the avionics cost $24.98 million.
The total procurement cost of the F-35 program (incl. engines) is estimated at $335.68 billion + $55.23 billion in research and development (RDT&E) funds, which means the total estimated program cost is $390.91 billion (numbers are aggregated annual funds spent over the life of the program and no price/inflation adjustment was made). This figure excludes military construction (MILCON) costs in support of the aircraft part of the program in the amount of $4.80 billion. The F-35 aircraft will cost $327.1 billion ($282.65 billion procurement + $44.41 billion RDT&E), while the F-35 engine will cost another $63.86 billion ($53.03 billion procurement + $10.82 billion RDT&E).
The F-35 Lightning II will complement the Navy's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the Air Force F-22 Raptor and will replace the Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II, the Navy F/A-18C/D Hornet and the Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II and F-16 Fighting Falcon. The F-35 will provide all–weather, precision, stealthy, air–to–air and air-to-ground strike capability, including direct attack on the most lethal surface–to–air missiles and air defenses.
Restructures the Joint Strike Fighter program to stabilize schedule and cost, scaling back procurement of the Marine Corps STOVL variant and increasing development to support additional developmental testing. The budget procures 7 CV for the Navy, 6 STOVL for the Marine Corps and 18 CTOL for the Air Force in FY 2012, continuing concurrent aircraft development and production. The F-35 is a joint program with no executive service. Service acquisition executive authority alternates between the Department of the Navy and the Department of the Air Force and currently resides with the Air Force.
Restructures the Joint Strike Fighter program to reduce concurrency. The budget procures 29 aircraft: 4 CV for the Navy, 6 STOVL for the Marine Corps, and 19 CTOL for the Air Force in FY 2013.
Sources Used: U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Lockheed Martin Corp.,
BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, General Electric, VSI,
and General Dynamics.
Last Update: May 3, 2013.
By Joakim Kasper Oestergaard /// (jkasper@bga-aeroweb.com)
Lockheed Martin's F-35 Site: F-35 Lightning II
Official F-35 Site: F-35 Lightning II
Northrop Grumman: AN/APG-81 AESA Radar
General Dynamics: GAU-22/A gun system
VSI: F-35 HMDS
YouTube: F-35 Lightning II on YouTube
Fact Sheet: F-35 Lightning II Fact Sheet
Product Card: F-35A CTOL
Product Card: F-35B STOVL
Product Card: F-35C CV
Total F-35 Program Cost (incl. engines): |
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$390.91 billion ($335.68B procurement + $55.23B RDT&E) |
F-35 JSF U.S. Defense Budget Charts: |
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| Purchases of F-35 CTOL (USAF) | Purchases of F-35 CV (NAVY) | Purchases of F-35 STOVL (NAVY) |
| Modification of F-35 Aircraft (USAF) |
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Primary Function: Strike fighter |
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Primary Function: Strike fighter/STOVL |
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Primary Function: Strike fighter (carrier-based) |
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