Jump to content

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected fromF-35 Lightning II)
"F35" redirects here. For other uses, seeF35 (disambiguation).

F-35 Lightning II
An F-35C Lightning II, marked CF-01, conducts a test flight overChesapeake Bayin February 2011
Role Multirole fighter
National origin United States
Manufacturer Lockheed Martin
First flight 15 December 2006;17 years ago(2006-12-15)(F-35A)
Introduction
  • F-35B: 31 July 2015 (USMC)[1]
  • F-35A: 2 August 2016 (USAF)[2]
  • F-35C: 28 February 2019 (USN)[3]
Status In service
Primary users United States Air Force
Produced 2006–present
Number built 1,000+[4]
Developed from Lockheed Martin X-35

TheLockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIis an American family of single-seat, single-engine,stealthmultirole combat aircraftdesigned forair superiorityandstrikemissions; it also haselectronic warfareandintelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissancecapabilities.Lockheed Martinis the prime F-35 contractor with principal partnersNorthrop GrummanandBAE Systems.The aircraft has three main variants: theconventional takeoff and landing(CTOL) F-35A, theshort take-off and vertical-landing(STOVL) F-35B, and thecarrier-based(CV/CATOBAR) F-35C.

The aircraft descends from theLockheed Martin X-35,which in 2001 beat theBoeing X-32to win theJoint Strike Fighter(JSF) program. Its development is principally funded by the United States, with additional funding from program partner countries from theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) and close U.S. allies, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Italy, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, andformerly Turkey.[5][6][7]Several other countries have also ordered, or are considering ordering, the aircraft. The program hasdrawn criticismfor its unprecedented size, complexity, ballooning costs, and delayed deliveries[8][N 1]The acquisition strategy of concurrent production of the aircraft while it was still in development and testing led to expensive design changes and retrofits.[10][11]

The F-35 first flew in 2006 and entered service with theU.S. Marine CorpsF-35B in July 2015, followed by the U.S. Air Force F-35A in August 2016 and the U.S. Navy F-35C in February 2019.[1][2][3]The aircraft was firstused in combat in 2018by theIsraeli Air Force.[12]The U.S. plans to buy 2,456 F-35s through 2044, which will represent the bulk of the crewed tactical aviation of the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps for several decades; the aircraft is planned to be a cornerstone of NATO and U.S.-allied air power and to operate until 2080.[13][14][15]

Development[edit]

Main article:Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II development

Program origins[edit]

The F-35 was the product of theJoint Strike Fighter(JSF) program, which was the merger of various combat aircraft programs from the 1980s and 1990s. One progenitor program was theDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency(DARPA) Advanced Short Take-Off/Vertical Landing (ASTOVL) which ran from 1983 to 1994; ASTOVL aimed to develop aHarrier jump jetreplacement for the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) and the U.K.Royal Navy.Under one of ASTOVL's classified programs, the Supersonic STOVL Fighter (SSF),LockheedSkunk Worksconducted research for a stealthy supersonic STOVL fighter intended for both U.S. Air Force (USAF) and USMC; a key technology explored was the shaft-driven lift fan (SDLF) system. Lockheed's concept was a single-enginecanarddelta aircraft weighing about 24,000 lb (11,000 kg) empty. ASTOVL was rechristened as theCommon Affordable Lightweight Fighter(CALF) in 1993 and involvedLockheed,McDonnell Douglas,andBoeing.[16][17]

The end of theCold Warand thecollapse of the Soviet Unionin 1991 caused considerable reductions inDepartment of Defense(DoD) spending and subsequent restructuring. In 1993, the Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) program emerged following the cancellation of the USAF's Multi-Role Fighter (MRF) and U.S. Navy's (USN) Advanced Attack/Fighter (A/F-X) programs. MRF, a program for a relatively affordableF-16replacement, was scaled back and delayed due to post–Cold War defense posture easing F-16 fleet usage and thus extending its service life as well as increasing budget pressure from theF-22Advanced Tactical Fighter(ATF) program. The A/F-X, initially known as the Advanced-Attack (A-X), began in 1991 as the USN's follow-on to the Advanced Tactical Aircraft (ATA) program for anA-6replacement; the ATA's resultingA-12 Avenger IIhad been canceled due to technical problems and cost overruns in 1991. In the same year, the termination of the Naval Advanced Tactical Fighter (NATF), a naval development of USAF's ATF program to replace theF-14,resulted in additional fighter capability being added to A-X, which was then renamed A/F-X. Amid increased budget pressure, the DoD's Bottom-Up Review (BUR) in September 1993 announced MRF's and A/F-X's cancellations, with applicable experience brought to the emerging JAST program.[17]JAST was not meant to develop a new aircraft, but rather to develop requirements, mature technologies, and demonstrate concepts for advanced strike warfare.[18]

As JAST progressed, the need for concept demonstrator aircraft by 1996 emerged, which would coincide with the full-scale flight demonstrator phase of ASTOVL/CALF. Because the ASTOVL/CALF concept appeared to align with the JAST charter, the two programs were eventually merged in 1994 under the JAST name, with the program now serving the USAF, USMC, and USN.[18]JAST was subsequently renamed to Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) in 1995, with STOVL submissions by McDonnell Douglas,Northrop Grumman,Lockheed Martin,[N 2]and Boeing. The JSF was expected to eventually replace large numbers of multi-role and strike fighters in the inventories of the US and its allies, including the Harrier, F-16,F/A-18,A-10,andF-117.[19]

International participation is a key aspect of the JSF program, starting with United Kingdom participation in the ASTOVL program. Many international partners requiring modernization of their air forces were interested in the JSF. The United Kingdom joined JAST/JSF as a founding member in 1995 and thus became the only Tier 1 partner of the JSF program;[20]Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Canada, Australia, and Turkey joined the program during the Concept Demonstration Phase (CDP), with Italy and the Netherlands being Tier 2 partners and the rest Tier 3. Consequently, the aircraft was developed in cooperation with international partners and available for export.[21]

JSF competition[edit]

Main articles:Joint Strike Fighter programandLockheed Martin X-35

Boeing and Lockheed Martin were selected in early 1997 for CDP, with their concept demonstrator aircraft designatedX-32andX-35respectively; the McDonnell Douglas team was eliminated and Northrop Grumman andBritish Aerospacejoined the Lockheed Martin team. Each firm would produce two prototype air vehicles to demonstrate conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL), carrier takeoff and landing (CV), and STOVL.[N 3]Lockheed Martin's design would make use of the work on the SDLF system conducted under the ASTOVL/CALF program. The key aspect of the X-35 that enabled STOVL operation, the SDLF system consists of the lift fan in the forward center fuselage that could be activated by engaging a clutch that connects the driveshaft to the turbines and thus augmenting the thrust from the engine's swivel nozzle. Research from prior aircraft incorporating similar systems, such as theConvair Model 200,[N 4]Rockwell XFV-12,andYakovlev Yak-141,were also taken into consideration.[23][24][25]By contrast, Boeing's X-32 employed direct lift system that the augmented turbofan would be reconfigured to when engaging in STOVL operation.

X-35B flying over Edwards Air Force Base

Lockheed Martin's commonality strategy was to replace the STOVL variant's SDLF with a fuel tank and the aft swivel nozzle with a two-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzle for the CTOL variant.[N 5]STOVL operation is made possible through a patented shaft-driven LiftFan propulsion system.[26]This would enable identical aerodynamic configuration for the STOVL and CTOL variants, while the CV variant would have an enlarged wing to reduce landing speed for carrier recovery. Due to aerodynamic characteristics and carrier recovery requirements from the JAST merger, the design configuration settled on a conventional tail compared to the canard delta design from the ASTOVL/CALF; notably, the conventional tail configuration offers much lower risk for carrier recovery compared to the ASTOVL/CALF canard configuration, which was designed without carrier compatibility in mind. This enabled greater commonality between all three variants, as the commonality goal was important at this design stage.[27]Lockheed Martin's prototypes would consist of the X-35A for demonstrating CTOL before converting it to the X-35B for STOVL demonstration and the larger-winged X-35C for CV compatibility demonstration.[28]

U.S. Air ForceF-35A

The X-35A first flew on 24 October 2000 and conducted flight tests for subsonic and supersonic flying qualities, handling, range, and maneuver performance.[29]After 28 flights, the aircraft was then converted into the X-35B for STOVL testing, with key changes including the addition of the SDLF, the three-bearing swivel module (3BSM), and roll-control ducts. The X-35B would successfully demonstrate the SDLF system by performing stable hover, vertical landing, and short takeoff in less than 500 ft (150 m).[27][30]The X-35C first flew on 16 December 2000 and conducted field landing carrier practice tests.[29]

On 26 October 2001, Lockheed Martin was declared the winner and was awarded the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract;Pratt & Whitneywas separately awarded a development contract for theF135engine for the JSF.[31]The F-35 designation, which was out of sequence withstandard DoD numbering,was allegedly determined on the spot by program manager Major General Mike Hough; this came as a surprise even to Lockheed Martin, which had expected the F-24 designation for the JSF.[32]

Design and production[edit]

Engineer handling a metallic scale model of jet fighter in wind-tunnel
An F-35wind tunneltesting model in 16-foot (5 m) transonic wind tunnel at theArnold Engineering Development Center

As the JSF program moved into the System Development and Demonstration phase, the X-35 demonstrator design was modified to create the F-35 combat aircraft. The forward fuselage was lengthened by 5 inches (13 cm) to make room for mission avionics, while the horizontal stabilizers were moved 2 inches (5.1 cm) aft to retain balance and control. The diverterless supersonic inlet changed from a four-sided to a three-sided cowl shape and was moved 30 inches (76 cm) aft. The fuselage section was fuller, the top surface raised by 1 inch (2.5 cm) along the centerline to accommodate weapons bays. Following the designation of the X-35 prototypes, the three variants were designated F-35A (CTOL), F-35B (STOVL), and F-35C (CV), all with a design service life of 8,000 hours. Prime contractor Lockheed Martin performs overall systems integration and final assembly and checkout (FACO) atFort Worth, Texas,[N 6]while Northrop Grumman andBAE Systemssupply components for mission systems and airframe.[33][34]

Adding the systems of a fighter aircraft added weight. The F-35B gained the most, largely due to a 2003 decision to enlarge the weapons bays for commonality between variants; the total weight growth was reportedly up to 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg), over 8%, causing all STOVL key performance parameter (KPP) thresholds to be missed.[35]In December 2003, the STOVL Weight Attack Team (SWAT) was formed to reduce the weight increase; changes included thinned airframe members, smaller weapons bays and vertical stabilizers, less thrust fed to the roll-post outlets, and redesigning the wing-mate joint, electrical elements, and the airframe immediately aft of the cockpit. The inlet was also revised to accommodate more powerful, greater mass flow engines.[36][37]Many changes from the SWAT effort were applied to all three variants for commonality. By September 2004, these efforts had reduced the F-35B's weight by over 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg), while the F-35A and F-35C were reduced in weight by 2,400 pounds (1,100 kg) and 1,900 pounds (860 kg) respectively.[27][38]The weight reduction work cost $6.2 billion and caused an 18-month delay.[39]

The first F-35A prototype, AA-1, being towed to its inauguration ceremony on 7 July 2006

The first F-35A, designated AA-1, was rolled out at Fort Worth on 19 February 2006 and first flew on 15 December 2006.[N 7][40]In 2006, the F-35 was given the name "Lightning II" after theLockheed P-38 Lightningof World War II.[41]Some USAF pilots have nicknamed the aircraft "Panther" instead.[42]

The aircraft's software was developed as six releases, or Blocks, for SDD. The first two Blocks, 1A and 1B, readied the F-35 for initial pilot training and multi-level security. Block 2A improved the training capabilities, while 2B was the first combat-ready release planned for the USMC'sInitial Operating Capability(IOC). Block 3i retains the capabilities of 2B while having new Technology Refresh 2 (TR-2) hardware and was planned for the USAF's IOC. The final release for SDD, Block 3F, would have full flight envelope and all baseline combat capabilities. Alongside software releases, each block also incorporates avionics hardware updates and air vehicle improvements from flight and structural testing.[43]In what is known as "concurrency", somelow rate initial production(LRIP) aircraft lots would be delivered in early Block configurations and eventually upgraded to Block 3F once development is complete.[44]After 17,000 flight test hours, the final flight for the SDD phase was completed in April 2018.[45]Like the F-22, the F-35 has been targeted bycyberattacksand technology theft efforts, as well as potential vulnerabilities in the integrity of the supply chain.[46][47][48]

Testing found several major problems: early F-35B airframes were vulnerable to premature cracking,[N 8]the F-35C arrestor hook design was unreliable, fuel tanks were too vulnerable to lightning strikes, the helmet display had problems, and more. Software was repeatedly delayed due to its unprecedented scope and complexity. In 2009, the DoD Joint Estimate Team (JET) estimated that the program was 30 months behind the public schedule.[49][50]In 2011, the program was "re-baselined"; that is, its cost and schedule goals were changed, pushing the IOC from the planned 2010 to July 2015.[51][52]The decision to simultaneously test, fix defects, and begin production was criticized as inefficient; in 2014,Under Secretary of Defense for AcquisitionFrank Kendallcalled it "acquisition malpractice".[53]The three variants shared just 25% of their parts, far below the anticipated commonality of 70%.[54]The program received considerable criticism for cost overruns and for the total projected lifetime cost, as well as quality management shortcomings by contractors.[55][56]

The JSF program was expected to cost about $200 billion for acquisition in base-year 2002 dollars when SDD was awarded in 2001.[57][58]As early as 2005, theGovernment Accountability Office(GAO) had identified major program risks in cost and schedule.[59]The costly delays strained the relationship between the Pentagon and contractors.[60]By 2017, delays and cost overruns had pushed the F-35 program's expected acquisition costs to $406.5 billion, with total lifetime cost (i.e., to 2070) to $1.5 trillion in then-year dollars which also includes operations and maintenance.[61][62][63]The F-35A's unit cost for LRIP Lot 13 was $79.2 million.[64]Delays in development and operational test and evaluation, including integration into the Joint Simulation Environment, pushed full-rate production decision from the end of 2019 to March 2024, although actual production rate had already approached the full rate by 2020; full rate at the Fort Worth plant is 156 aircraft annually.[65][66]

Upgrades and further development[edit]

USAF F-35A atRAF FairfordforRIAT2018

The F-35 is expected to be continually upgraded over its lifetime. The first combat-capable Block 2B configuration, which had basic air-to-air and strike capabilities, was declared ready by the USMC in July 2015.[1]The Block 3F configuration began operational test and evaluation (OT&E) in December 2018 and its completion in late 2023 concluded SDD in March 2024.[67]The F-35 program is also conducting sustainment and upgrade development, with early aircraft from LRIP lot 2 onwards gradually upgraded to the baseline Block 3F standard by 2021.[68][needs update]

With Block 3F as the final build for SDD, the first major upgrade program is Block 4 which began development in 2019 and was initially captured under the Continuous Capability Development and Delivery (C2D2) program. Block 4 is expected to enter service in incremental steps from the late 2020s to early 2030s and integrates additional weapons, including those unique to international customers, improved sensor capabilities including the new AN/APG-85 AESA radar and additional ESM bandwidth, and add Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) support.[69][70]C2D2 also places greater emphasis onagile software developmentto enable quicker releases.[71]

Key enablers of Block 4 are Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) avionics hardware, which consist of new display, core processor, and memory modules to support increased processing requirements, and an engine upgrade that increases the amount of cooling available to support the additional mission systems. The engine upgrade effort explored both improvements to the F135 as well as significantly more power and efficientadaptive cycle engines.In 2018, General Electric and Pratt & Whitney were awarded contracts to develop adaptive cycle engines for potential application in the F-35,[N 9]and in 2022, the F-35 Adaptive Engine Replacement program was launched to integrate them.[72][73]However, in 2023 the USAF chose an improved F135 under the Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) program over an adaptive cycle engine due to cost as well as concerns over risk of integrating the new engine, initially designed for the F-35A, on the B and C.[74]Difficulties with the new TR-3 hardware, includingregression testing,have caused delays to Block 4 as well as a halt in aircraft deliveries from 2023 to 2024.[75][76]

Defense contractors have offered upgrades to the F-35 outside of official program contracts. In 2013, Northrop Grumman disclosed its development of a directionalinfrared countermeasuressuite, named Threat Nullification Defensive Resource (ThNDR). The countermeasure system would share the same space as the Distributed Aperture System (DAS) sensors and acts as a laser missile jammer to protect against infrared-homing missiles.[77]

Israel operates a unique subvariant of the F-35A, designated the F-35I, that is designed to better interface with and incorporate Israeli equipment and weapons. The Israeli Air Force also has their own F-35I test aircraft that provides more access to the core avionics to include their own equipment.[78]

Procurement and international participation[edit]

Main article:Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II procurement

The United States is the primary customer and financial backer, with planned procurement of 1,763 F-35As for the USAF, 353 F-35Bs and 67 F-35Cs for the USMC, and 273 F-35Cs for the USN.[13]Additionally, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Australia, Norway, Denmark and Canada have agreed to contribute US$4.375 billion towards development costs, with the United Kingdom contributing about 10% of the planned development costs as the sole Tier 1 partner.[20]The initial plan was that the U.S. and eight major partner countries would acquire over 3,100 F-35s through 2035.[79]The three tiers of international participation generally reflect financial stake in the program, the amount of technology transfer and subcontracts open for bid by national companies, and the order in which countries can obtain production aircraft.[80]Alongside program partner countries, Israel and Singapore have joined as Security Cooperative Participants (SCP).[81][82][83]Sales to SCP and non-partner states, including Belgium, Japan, and South Korea, are made through the Pentagon'sForeign Military Salesprogram.[7][84]Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in July 2019 over security concerns following its purchase of a RussianS-400surface-to-air missile system.[85][86][N 10]

Design[edit]

Overview[edit]

The F-35 is a family of single-engine, supersonic, stealth multirole fighters.[88]The secondfifth-generation fighterto enter US service and the first operational supersonic STOVL stealth fighter, the F-35 emphasizes low observables, advanced avionics and sensor fusion that enable a high level of situational awareness and long range lethality;[89][90][91]the USAF considers the aircraft its primary strike fighter for conductingsuppression of enemy air defense(SEAD) missions, owing to the advanced sensors and mission systems.[92]

(From the top) F-35A of the33rd FW,F-35B ofVMFAT-501and F-35C ofVFA-101nearEglin AFB,2014
A vortex forms around the body of the aircraft

The F-35 has a wing-tail configuration with two vertical stabilizers canted for stealth. Flight control surfaces includeleading-edge flaps,flaperons,[N 11]rudders,and all-moving horizontal tails (stabilators);leading edge root extensionsor chines[93]also run forwards to the inlets. The relatively short 35-foot wingspan of the F-35A and F-35B is set by the requirement to fit inside USN amphibious assault ship parking areas and elevators; the F-35C's larger wing is more fuel efficient.[94][95]The fixed diverterless supersonic inlets (DSI) use a bumped compression surface and forward-swept cowl to shed the boundary layer of the forebody away from the inlets, which form a Y-duct for the engine.[96]Structurally, the F-35 drew upon lessons from the F-22; composites comprise 35% of airframe weight, with the majority beingbismaleimideandcomposite epoxy materialsas well as somecarbon nanotube-reinforcedepoxyin later production lots.[97][98][99]The F-35 is considerably heavier than the lightweight fighters it replaces, with the lightest variant having an empty weight of 29,300 lb (13,300 kg); much of the weight can be attributed to the internal weapons bays and the extensive avionics carried.[100]

While lacking the kinematic performance of the larger twin-engine F-22, the F-35 is competitive withfourth-generation fighterssuch as the F-16 and F/A-18, especially when they carry weapons because the F-35's internal weapons bay eliminates drag from external stores.[101]All variants have a top speed of Mach 1.6, attainable with full internal payload. The Pratt & Whitney F135 engine gives good subsonic acceleration and energy, with supersonic dash in afterburner. The F-35, while not a "supercruising" aircraft, can fly at Mach 1.2 for a dash of 150 miles (240 km) with afterburners. This ability can be useful in battlefield situations.[102]The large stabilitors, leading edge extensions and flaps, and canted rudders provide excellent high alpha (angle-of-attack) characteristics, with a trimmed alpha of 50°.Relaxed stabilityand triplex-redundantfly-by-wirecontrols provide excellent handling qualities anddeparture resistance.[103][104]Having over double the F-16's internal fuel, the F-35 has a considerably greatercombat radius,while stealth also enables a more efficient mission flight profile.[105]

Sensors and avionics[edit]

The AN/AAQ-40 Electro-Optical Target System (EOTS) under the nose of an F-35

The F-35's mission systems are among the most complex aspects of the aircraft. The avionics andsensor fusionare designed to improve the pilot'ssituational awarenessandcommand-and-controlcapabilities and facilitatenetwork-centric warfare.[88][106]Key sensors include theNorthrop GrummanAN/APG-81active electronically scanned array(AESA) radar,BAE SystemsAN/ASQ-239 Barracudaelectronic warfaresystem, Northrop Grumman/RaytheonAN/AAQ-37 Electro-optical Distributed Aperture System(DAS), Lockheed Martin AN/AAQ-40 Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) and Northrop Grumman AN/ASQ-242 Communications, Navigation, and Identification (CNI) suite. The F-35 was designed for its sensors to work together to provide a cohesive image of the localbattlespace;for example, the APG-81 radar also acts as a part of the electronic warfare system.[107]

Much of the F-35's software was developed inCandC++programming languages,whileAda83code from the F-22 was also used; the Block 3F software has 8.6 millionlines of code.[108][109]TheGreen Hills SoftwareIntegrity DO-178Breal-time operating system(RTOS) runs on integrated core processors (ICPs); data networking includes theIEEE 1394bandFibre Channelbuses.[110][111]The avionics usecommercial off-the-shelf(COTS) components when practical to make upgrades cheaper and more flexible; for example, to enable fleet software upgrades for thesoftware-defined radio(SDR) systems.[112][113][114]The mission systems software, particularly for sensor fusion, was one of the program's most difficult parts and responsible for substantial program delays.[N 12][116][117]

AN/APG-81AESAradar antenna

The APG-81 radar uses electronic scanning for rapid beam agility and incorporates passive and active air-to-air modes, strike modes, and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) capability, with multiple targettrack-while-scanat ranges in excess of 80 nmi (150 km). The antenna is tilted backwards for stealth.[118]Complementing the radar is the AAQ-37 DAS, which consists of sixinfrared sensorsthat provide all-aspectmissile launch warningand target tracking; the DAS acts as a situational awareness infrared search-and-track (SAIRST) and gives the pilot spherical infrared and night-vision imagery on the helmet visor.[119]The ASQ-239 Barracuda electronic warfare system has tenradio frequencyantennas embedded into the edges of the wing and tail for all-aspectradar warning receiver(RWR). It also provides sensor fusion of radio frequency and infrared tracking functions, geolocation threat targeting, andmultispectral imagecountermeasures for self-defense against missiles. The electronic warfare system can detect and jam hostile radars.[120]The AAQ-40 EOTS is mounted behind a faceted low-observable window under the nose and performs laser targeting, forward-looking infrared (FLIR), and long range IRST functions.[121]The ASQ-242 CNI suite uses a half dozen physical links, including the directionalMultifunction Advanced Data Link(MADL), for covert CNI functions.[122][123]Through sensor fusion, information from radio frequency receivers and infrared sensors are combined to form a single tactical picture for the pilot. The all-aspect target direction and identification can be shared via MADL to other platformswithout compromising low observability,whileLink 16enables communication with older systems.[124]

The F-35 was designed to accept upgrades to its processors, sensors, and software over its lifespan. Technology Refresh 3, which includes a new core processor and a new cockpit display, is planned for Lot 15 aircraft.[125]Lockheed Martin has offered the Advanced EOTS for the Block 4 configuration; the improved sensor fits into the same area as the baseline EOTS with minimal changes.[126]In June 2018, Lockheed Martin picked Raytheon for improved DAS.[127]The USAF has studied the potential for the F-35 to orchestrate attacks byunmanned combat aerial vehicles(UCAVs) via its sensors and communications equipment.[128]

A new radar called theAN/APG-85is planned for Block 4 F-35s.[129]According to the JPO, the new radar will be compatible with all three major F-35 variants. However, it is unclear if older aircraft will be retrofitted with the new radar.[129]

Stealth and signatures[edit]

The sawtooth design on the landing gear door and access panels

Stealth is a key aspect of the F-35's design, andradar cross-section(RCS) is minimized through careful shaping of the airframe and the use ofradar-absorbent materials(RAM); visible measures to reduce RCS include alignment of edges and continuous curvature of surfaces, serration of skin panels, and the masking of the engine face and turbine. Additionally, the F-35's diverterless supersonic inlet (DSI) uses a compression bump and forward-swept cowl rather than asplitter gapor bleed system to divert theboundary layeraway from the inlet duct, eliminating the diverter cavity and further reducing radar signature.[96][130]The RCS of the F-35 has been characterized as lower than a metal golf ball at certain frequencies and angles; in some conditions, the F-35 compares favorably to the F-22 in stealth.[131][132][133]For maintainability, the F-35's stealth design took lessons from earlier stealth aircraft such as the F-22; the F-35's radar-absorbent fibermat skin is more durable and requires less maintenance than older topcoats.[134]The aircraft also has reducedinfraredandvisual signaturesas well as strict controls of radio frequency emitters to prevent their detection.[135][136][137]The F-35's stealth design is primarily focused on high-frequencyX-bandwavelengths;[138]low-frequency radarscan spot stealthy aircraft due toRayleigh scattering,but such radars are also conspicuous, susceptible to clutter, and lack precision.[139][140][141]To disguise its RCS, the aircraft can mount fourLuneburg lensreflectors.[142]

Noise from the F-35 caused concerns in residential areas near potential bases for the aircraft, and residents near two such bases—Luke Air Force Base,Arizona, andEglin Air Force Base(AFB), Florida—requested environmental impact studies in 2008 and 2009 respectively.[143]Although the noise levels, in decibels, were comparable to those of prior fighters such as the F-16, the F-35's sound power is stronger—particularly at lower frequencies.[144]Subsequent surveys and studies have indicated that the noise of the F-35 was not perceptibly different from the F-16 and F/A-18E/F, though the greater low-frequency noise was noticeable for some observers.[145][146][147]

Cockpit[edit]

F-35 cockpit simulator

Theglass cockpitwas designed to give the pilot good situational awareness. The main display is a 20-by-8-inch (50 by 20 cm) panoramictouchscreen,which shows flight instruments, stores management, CNI information, and integrated caution and warnings; the pilot can customize the arrangement of the information. Below the main display is a smaller stand-by display.[148]The cockpit has aspeech-recognition systemdeveloped byAdacel.[149]The F-35 does not have ahead-up display;instead, flight and combat information is displayed on thevisor of the pilot's helmetin a helmet-mounted display system (HMDS).[150]The one-piece tinted canopy is hinged at the front and has an internal frame for structural strength. TheMartin-BakerUS16Eejection seatis launched by a twin-catapult system housed on side rails.[151]There is a right-handside stickand throttlehands-on throttle-and-sticksystem. For life support, anonboard oxygen-generation system(OBOGS) is fitted and powered by the Integrated Power Package (IPP), with an auxiliary oxygen bottle and backup oxygen system for emergencies.[152]

The F-35's helmet-mounted display system

The Vision Systems International[N 13]helmet display is a key piece of the F-35's human-machine interface. Instead of the head-up display mounted atop the dashboard of earlier fighters, the HMDS puts flight and combat information on the helmet visor, allowing the pilot to see it no matter which way they are facing.[153]Infrared and night vision imagery from the Distributed Aperture System can be displayed directly on the HMDS and enables the pilot to "see through" the aircraft. The HMDS allows an F-35 pilot to fire missiles at targets even when the nose of the aircraft is pointing elsewhere by cuing missile seekers at high angles off-boresight.[154][155]Each helmet costs $400,000.[156]The HMDS weighs more than traditional helmets, and there is concern that it can endanger lightweight pilots during ejection.[157]

Due to the HMDS's vibration, jitter, night-vision and sensor display problems during development, Lockheed Martin and Elbit issued a draft specification in 2011 for an alternative HMDS based on the AN/AVS-9night visiongoggles as backup, with BAE Systems chosen later that year.[158][159]A cockpit redesign would be needed to adopt an alternative HMDS.[160][161]Following progress on the baseline helmet, development on the alternative HMDS was halted in October 2013.[162][163]In 2016, the Gen 3 helmet with improved night vision camera, new liquid crystal displays, automated alignment and software enhancements was introduced with LRIP lot 7.[162]

Armament[edit]

F-35A with all weapon bay doors open

To preserve its stealth shaping, the F-35 has two internalweapons bayseach with two weapons stations. The twooutboard weapon stationseach can carry ordnance up to 2,500 lb (1,100 kg), or 1,500 lb (680 kg) for the F-35B, while the two inboard stations carry air-to-air missiles. Air-to-surface weapons for the outboard station include theJoint Direct Attack Munition(JDAM),Pavewayseries of bombs,Joint Standoff Weapon(JSOW), andcluster munitions(Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser). The station can also carry multiple smaller munitions such as theGBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs(SDB),GBU-53/BSDB II, andSPEAR 3;up to four SDBs can be carried per station for the F-35A and F-35C, and three for the F-35B.[164][165][166]The F-35A achieved certification to carry theB61 Mod 12 nuclear bombin October 2023.[167]The inboard station can carry theAIM-120 AMRAAMand eventually theAIM-260 JATM.Two compartments behind the weapons bays contain flares,chaff,and towed decoys.[168]

An F-35A from the 4th Fighter Squadron, 388th Fighter Wing, Hill AFB, Utah, flies a strafing run at the Utah Test & Training Range in August 2018. This was the first operation use of theGAU-22/Aof the F-35A aircraft.

The aircraft can use six external weapons stations for missions that do not require stealth.[169]The wingtip pylons each can carry anAIM-9XorAIM-132 ASRAAMand are canted outwards to reduce their radar cross-section.[170][171]Additionally, each wing has a 5,000 lb (2,300 kg) inboard station and a 2,500 lb (1,100 kg) middle station, or 1,500 lb (680 kg) for F-35B. The external wing stations can carry large air-to-surface weapons that would not fit inside the weapons bays such as theAGM-158 Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile(JASSM) cruise missile. An air-to-air missile load of eight AIM-120s and two AIM-9s is possible using internal and external weapons stations; a configuration of six 2,000 lb (910 kg) bombs, two AIM-120s and two AIM-9s can also be arranged.[154][172][173]The F-35 is armed with a25 mmGAU-22/Arotary cannon, a lighter four-barrel variant of theGAU-12/U Equalizer.[174]On the F-35A this is mounted internally near the left wing root with 182 rounds carried;[citation needed]the gun is more effective against ground targets than the20 mmgun carried by other USAF fighters.[dubious–discuss][citation needed]In 2020, a USAF report noted "unacceptable" accuracy problems with the GAU-22/A on the F-35A. These were due to "misalignments" in the gun's mount, which was also susceptible to cracking.[175]These problems were resolved by 2024.[176]The F-35B and F-35C have no internal gun and instead can use aTerma A/Smulti-mission pod (MMP) carrying the GAU-22/A and 220 rounds; the pod is mounted on the centerline of the aircraft and shaped to reduce its radar cross-section.[174][177][verification needed]In lieu of the gun, the pod can also be used for different equipment and purposes, such aselectronic warfare,aerial reconnaissance,or rear-facing tactical radar.[178][179]The pod was not susceptible to the accuracy issues that once plagued the gun on the F-35A variant,[175]though was apparently not problem-free.[176]

Lockheed Martin is developing a weapon rack called Sidekick that would enable the internal outboard station to carry two AIM-120s, thus increasing the internal air-to-air payload to six missiles, currently offered for Block 4.[180][181]Block 4 will also have a rearranged hydraulic line and bracket to allow the F-35B to carry four SDBs per internal outboard station; integration of the MBDAMeteoris also planned.[182][183]The USAF and USN are planning to integrate theAGM-88G AARGM-ERinternally in the F-35A and F-35C.[184]Norway and Australia are funding an adaptation of theNaval Strike Missile(NSM) for the F-35; designatedJoint Strike Missile(JSM), two missiles can be carried internally with an additional four externally.[185]Both hypersonic missiles and direct energy weapons such assolid-state laserare currently being considered as future upgrades.[N 14][189]Lockheed Martin is studying integrating afiber laserthat uses spectral beam combining multiple individual laser modules into a single high-power beam, which can be scaled to various levels.[190]

F-35A weapon bays with two B61 nuclear bombs and 2 AIM-120 AMRAAM

The USAF plans for the F-35A to take up theclose air support(CAS) mission in contested environments; amid criticism that it is not as well suited as a dedicated attack platform, USAF chief of staffMark Welshplaced a focus on weapons for CAS sorties, includingguided rockets,fragmentation rockets that shatter into individual projectiles before impact, and more compact ammunition for higher capacity gun pods.[191]Fragmentary rocket warheads create greater effects than cannon shells as each rocket creates a "thousand-round burst", delivering more projectiles than astrafingrun.[192]

Engine[edit]

The aircraft is powered by a singlePratt & Whitney F135low-bypass augmented turbofan with rated thrust of 28,000 lbf (125 kN) at military power and 43,000 lbf (191 kN) with afterburner. Derived from thePratt & Whitney F119used by the F-22, the F135 has a larger fan and higher bypass ratio to increase subsonic thrust andfuel efficiency,and unlike the F119, is not optimized forsupercruise.[193]The engine contributes to the F-35's stealth by having a low-observable augmenter, orafterburner,that incorporates fuel injectors into thick curved vanes; these vanes are covered by ceramic radar-absorbent materials and mask the turbine. The stealthy augmenter had problems with pressure pulsations, or "screech", at low altitude and high speed early in its development.[194]The low-observable axisymmetric nozzle consists of 15 partially overlapping flaps that create a sawtooth pattern at the trailing edge, which reduces radar signature and creates shed vortices that reduce the infrared signature of the exhaust plume.[195]Due to the engine's large dimensions, the U.S. Navy had to modify its underway replenishment system to facilitate at-sea logistics support.[196]The F-35's Integrated Power Package (IPP) performs power and thermal management and integrates environment control, auxiliary power unit, engine starting, and other functions into a single system.[197]

Illustration of theSTOVLswivel nozzle, lift fan, and roll-control posts

The F135-PW-600 variant for the F-35B incorporates the Shaft-Driven Lift Fan (SDLF) to allowSTOVLoperations. Designed by Lockheed Martin and developed byRolls-Royce,the SDLF, also known as theRolls-Royce LiftSystem,consists of the lift fan, drive shaft, two roll posts, and a "three-bearing swivel module" (3BSM). Thenozzlefeatures threebearingsresembling a shortcylinderwithnonparallelbases. As thetoothededges are rotated by motors, the nozzle swivels from beinglinearwith the engine to beingperpendicular.Thethrust vectoring3BSM nozzle allows the main engine exhaust to be deflected downward at the tail of the aircraft and is moved by a"fueldraulic" actuatorthat uses pressurized fuel as theworking fluid.[198][199][200]Unlike the Harrier'sPegasusengine that entirely uses direct engine thrust for lift, the F-35B's system augments the swivel nozzle's thrust with the lift fan; the fan is powered by the low-pressure turbine through a drive shaft when engaged with a clutch and placed near the front of the aircraft to provide a torque countering that of the 3BSM nozzle.[201][202][203]Roll control during slow flight is achieved by diverting unheated enginebypassair through wing-mounted thrust nozzles called roll posts.[204][205]

An alternative engine, theGeneral Electric/Rolls-Royce F136,was being developed in the 2000s; originally, F-35 engines from Lot 6 onward were competitively tendered. Using technology from theGeneral Electric YF120,the F136 was claimed to have a greater temperature margin than the F135 due to the higher mass flow design making full use of the inlet.[36][206]The F136 was canceled in December 2011 due to lack of funding.[207][208]

The F-35 is expected to receive propulsion upgrades over its lifecycle to adapt to emerging threats and enable additional capabilities. In 2016, the Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) was launched to develop and test adaptive cycle engines, with one major potential application being the re-engining of the F-35; in 2018, both GE and P&W were awarded contracts to develop 45,000 lbf (200 kN) thrust class demonstrators, with the designationsXA100andXA101respectively.[72]In addition to potential re-engining, P&W is also developing improvements to the baseline F135; the Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) is an update to the power module, originally called Growth Option 1.0 and then Engine Enhancement Package, that improves engine thrust and fuel burn by 5% and bleed air cooling capacity by 50% to support Block 4.[209][210][211]The F135 ECU was selected over AETP engines in 2023 to provide additional power and cooling for the F-35. Although GE had expected that the more revolutionary XA100 could enter service with the F-35A and C by 2027 and could be adapted for the F-35B, the increased cost and risk caused the USAF to choose the F135 ECU instead.[212][74]

Maintenance and logistics[edit]

The F-35 is designed to require less maintenance than prior stealth aircraft. Some 95% of all field-replaceable parts are "one deep" —that is, nothing else needs to be removed to reach the desired part; for instance, the ejection seat can be replaced without removing the canopy. The F-35 has a fibermat radar-absorbent material (RAM) baked into the skin, which is more durable, easier to work with, and faster to cure than older RAM coatings; similar coatings are being considered for application on older stealth aircraft such as the F-22.[134][213][214]Skin corrosion on the F-22 led to the F-35 using a lessgalvanic corrosion-inducing skin gap filler, fewer gaps in the airframe skin needing filler, and better drainage.[215]The flight control system useselectro-hydrostatic actuatorsrather than traditional hydraulic systems; these controls can be powered by lithium-ion batteries in case of emergency.[216][217]Commonality between variants led to the USMC's first aircraft maintenance Field Training Detachment, which applied USAF lessons to their F-35 operations.[218]

The F-35 was initially supported by a computerized maintenance management system named Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS). In concept, any F-35 can be serviced at any maintenance facility and all parts can be globally tracked and shared as needed.[219]Due to numerous problems,[220]such as unreliable diagnoses, excessive connectivity requirements, andsecurity vulnerabilities,ALIS is being replaced by the cloud-based Operational Data Integrated Network (ODIN).[221][222][223]From September 2020,ODIN base kits (OBKs)[224]were running ALIS software, as well as ODIN software, first at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, Arizona, then at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, in support of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 125 on 16 July 2021, and then Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, in support of the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES) on 6 August 2021. In 2022, over a dozen more OBK sites will replace the ALIS's Standard Operating Unit unclassified (SOU-U) servers.[225]OBK performance is double that of ALIS.[226][225][224]

Operational history[edit]

Testing[edit]

The first F-35A, AA-1, conducted its engine run in September 2006 and first flew on 15 December 2006.[227]Unlike all subsequent aircraft, AA-1 did not have the weight optimization from SWAT; consequently, it mainly tested subsystems common to subsequent aircraft, such as the propulsion, electrical system, and cockpit displays. This aircraft was retired from flight testing in December 2009 and was used for live-fire testing atNAS China Lake.[228]

The first delivered USAF F-35A on its delivery flight to Eglin AFB, July 2011

The first F-35B, BF-1, flew on 11 June 2008, while the first weight-optimized F-35A and F-35C, AF-1 and CF-1, flew on 14 November 2009 and 6 June 2010 respectively. The F-35B's first hover was on 17 March 2010, followed by its first vertical landing the next day.[229]The F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF) consisted of 18 aircraft atEdwards Air Force BaseandNaval Air Station Patuxent River.Nine aircraft at Edwards, five F-35As, three F-35Bs, and one F-35C, performed flight sciences testing such as F-35Aenvelopeexpansion, flight loads, stores separation, as well as mission systems testing. The other nine aircraft at Patuxent River, five F-35Bs and four F-35Cs, were responsible for F-35B and C envelope expansion and STOVL and CV suitability testing. Additional carrier suitability testing was conducted atNaval Air Warfare Center Aircraft DivisionatLakehurst, New Jersey.Two non-flying aircraft of each variant were used to test static loads and fatigue.[230]For testing avionics and mission systems, a modifiedBoeing 737-300with a duplication of the cockpit, theLockheed Martin CATBirdhas been used.[181]Field testing of the F-35's sensors were conducted duringExercise Northern Edge2009 and 2011, serving as significant risk-reduction steps.[231][232]

Flight tests revealed several serious deficiencies that required costly redesigns, caused delays, and resulted in several fleet-wide groundings. In 2011, the F-35C failed to catch the arresting wire in all eight landing tests; a redesigned tail hook was delivered two years later.[233][234]By June 2009, many of the initial flight test targets had been accomplished but the program was behind schedule.[235]Software and mission systems were among the biggest sources of delays for the program, with sensor fusion proving especially challenging.[117]In fatigue testing, the F-35B suffered several premature cracks, requiring a redesign of the structure.[236]A third non-flying F-35B is currently planned to test the redesigned structure. The F-35B and C also had problems with the horizontal tails suffering heat damage from prolonged afterburner use.[N 15][239][240]Early flight control laws had problems with "wing drop"[N 16]and also made the airplane sluggish, with high angles-of-attack tests in 2015 against an F-16 showing a lack of energy.[241][242]

A USMC F-35B launches off theski-jumpofHMSQueen Elizabeth,2018

At-sea testing of the F-35B was first conducted aboardUSSWasp.In October 2011, two F-35Bs conducted three weeks of initial sea trials, called Development Test I.[243]The second F-35B sea trials, Development Test II, began in August 2013, with tests including nighttime operations; two aircraft completed 19 nighttime vertical landings using DAS imagery.[244][245]The first operational testing involving six F-35Bs was done on theWaspin May 2015. The final Development Test III onUSSAmericainvolving operations in high sea states was completed in late 2016.[246]A Royal Navy F-35 conducted the first "rolling" landing on boardHMSQueen Elizabethin October 2018.[247]

USN F-35C makes the aircraft's first arrested landing aboard the carrierUSSNimitzoff the coast of San Diego

After the redesigned tail hook arrived, the F-35C's carrier-based Development Test I began in November 2014 aboardUSSNimitzand focused on basic day carrier operations and establishing launch and recovery handling procedures.[248]Development Test II, which focused on night operations, weapons loading, and full power launches, took place in October 2015. The final Development Test III was completed in August 2016, and included tests of asymmetric loads and certifying systems for landing qualifications and interoperability.[249]Operational test of the F-35C was conducted in 2018 and the first operational squadron achieved safe-for-flight milestone that December, paving the way for its introduction in 2019.[3][250]

The F-35's reliability and availability have fallen short of requirements, especially in the early years of testing. The ALIS maintenance and logistics system was plagued by excessive connectivity requirements and faulty diagnoses. In late 2017, the GAO reported the time needed to repair an F-35 part averaged 172 days, which was "twice the program's objective," and that shortage of spare parts was degrading readiness.[251]In 2019, while individual F-35 units have achieved mission-capable rates of over the target of 80% for short periods during deployed operations, fleet-wide rates remained below target. The fleet availability goal of 65% was also not met, although the trend shows improvement. Internal gun accuracy of the F-35A was unacceptable until misalignment issues were addressed by 2024.[239][252]As of 2020, the number of the program's most serious issues have been decreased by half.[253][176]

Operational test and evaluation (OT&E) with Block 3F, the final configuration for SDD, began in December 2018, but its completion was delayed particularly by technical problems in integration with the DOD's Joint Simulation Environment (JSE);[254]the F-35 finally completed all JSE trials in September 2023.[66]

United States[edit]

Training[edit]

A pair of F-35Cs and F/A-18E/Fs fly overNAS Fallon,home ofTOPGUN,in September 2015.

The F-35A and F-35B were cleared for basic flight training in early 2012, although there were concerns over safety and performance due to lack of system maturity at the time.[255][256][257]During the Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) phase, the three U.S. military services jointly developed tactics and procedures using flight simulators, testing effectiveness, discovering problems and refining design. On 10 September 2012, the USAF began an operational utility evaluation (OUE) of the F-35A, including logistical support, maintenance, personnel training, and pilot execution.[258][259]

The USMC F-35BFleet Replacement Squadron(FRS) was initially based at Eglin AFB in 2012 alongside USAF F-35A training units, before moving toMCAS Beaufortin 2014 while another FRS was stood up atMCAS Miramarin 2020.[260][261]The USAF F-35A basic course is held at Eglin AFB and Luke AFB; in January 2013, training began at Eglin with capacity for 100 pilots and 2,100 maintainers at once.[262]Additionally, the6th Weapons Squadronof theUSAF Weapons Schoolwas activated atNellis AFBin June 2017 for F-35A weapons instructor curriculum while the65th Aggressor Squadronwas reactivated with the F-35A in June 2022 to expand training against adversary stealth aircraft tactics.[263]The USN stood up its F-35C FRS in 2012 withVFA-101at Eglin AFB, but operations would later be transferred and consolidated underVFA-125atNAS Lemoorein 2019.[264]The F-35C was introduced to the Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor course, orTOPGUN,in 2020 and the additional capabilities of the aircraft greatly revamped the course syllabus.[265]

U.S. Marine Corps[edit]

On 16 November 2012, the USMC received the first F-35B ofVMFA-121atMCAS Yuma.[266]The USMC declared Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for the F-35B in the Block 2B configuration on 31 July 2015 after operational trials, with some limitations in night operations, mission systems, and weapons carriage.[1][267]USMC F-35Bs participated in their first Red Flag exercise in July 2016 with 67 sorties conducted.[268]The first F-35B deployment occurred in 2017 at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan; combat employment began in July 2018 from the amphibious assault shipUSSEssex,with the first combat strike on 27 September 2018 against aTalibantarget in Afghanistan.[269]

On 3 October 2021, USMC F-35Bs performed the aircraft's first landings and take-offs from theJSIzumo.

In addition to deploying F-35Bs on amphibious assault ships, the USMC plans to disperse the aircraft among austere forward-deployed bases with shelter and concealment to enhance survivability while remaining close to a battlespace. Known as distributed STOVL operations (DSO), F-35Bs would operate from temporary bases in allied territory within hostile missile engagement zones and displace inside the enemy's 24- to 48-hour targeting cycle; this strategy allows F-35Bs to rapidly respond to operational needs, with mobile forward arming and refueling points (M-FARPs) accommodatingKC-130andMV-22 Ospreyaircraft to rearm and refuel the jets, as well as littoral areas for sea links of mobile distribution sites. For higher echelons of maintenance, F-35Bs would return from M-FARPs to rear-area friendly bases or ships. Helicopter-portable metal planking is needed to protect unprepared roads from the F-35B's exhaust; the USMC are studying lighter heat-resistant options.[270]These operations have become part of the larger USMC Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) concept.[271]

The first USMC F-35C squadron,VMFA-314,achievedFull Operational Capabilityin July 2021 and was first deployed on board the USSAbraham Lincolnas a part of Carrier Air Wing 9 in January 2022.[272]

U.S. Air Force[edit]

USAF F-35A in the Block 3i configuration achieved IOC with the USAF's34th Fighter SquadronatHill Air Force Base,Utahon 2 August 2016.[2]F-35As conducted their first Red Flag exercise in 2017; system maturity had improved and the aircraft scored a kill ratio of 15:1 against an F-16aggressor squadronin a high-threat environment.[273]The first USAF F-35A deployment occurred on 15 April 2019 toAl Dhafra Air Base,UAE.[274]On 27 April 2019, USAF F-35As were first used in combat in an airstrike on anIslamic Statetunnel network in northern Iraq.[275]

For European basing,RAF Lakenheathin the UK was chosen as the first installation to station two F-35A squadrons, with 48 aircraft adding to the48th Fighter Wing's existingF-15CandF-15Esquadrons. The first aircraft of the 495th Fighter Squadron arrived in 15 December 2021.[276][277]

The F-35's operating cost is higher than some older USAF tactical aircraft. In fiscal year 2018, the F-35A's cost per flight hour (CPFH) was $44,000, a number that was reduced to $35,000 in 2019.[278]For comparison, in 2015 the CPFH of the A-10 was $17,716; the F-15C, $41,921; and the F-16C, $22,514.[279]Lockheed Martin hopes to reduce it to $25,000 by 2025 through performance-based logistics and other measures.[280]

U.S. Navy[edit]

The USN achieved operational status with the F-35C in Block 3F on 28 February 2019.[3]On 2 August 2021, the F-35C ofVFA-147,as well as theCMV-22 Osprey,embarked on their maiden deployments as part of Carrier Air Wing 2 on board theUSSCarl Vinson.[281]

United Kingdom[edit]

F-35BZM148ofNo. 617 Squadronlanding on HMSQueen Elizabeth,2019

The United Kingdom'sRoyal Air Forceand Royal Navy operate the F-35B. Called Lightning in British service,[282]it has replaced theHarrier GR9,retired in 2010, andTornado GR4,retired in 2019. The F-35 is to be Britain's primary strike aircraft for the next three decades. One of the Royal Navy's requirements was aShipborne Rolling and Vertical Landing(SRVL) mode to increase maximum landing weight by using wing lift during landing.[283][284]Like the Italian Navy, British F-35Bs useski-jumpsto fly from their aircraft carriers, HMSQueen ElizabethandHMSPrince of Wales.British F-35Bs are not intended to use the Brimstone 2 missile.[285]In July 2013,Chief of the Air StaffAir Chief MarshalSir Stephen Daltonannounced thatNo. 617 (The Dambusters) Squadronwould be the RAF's first operational F-35 squadron.[286][287]

The first British F-35 squadron wasNo. 17 (Reserve) Test and Evaluation Squadron(TES), which stood up on 12 April 2013 as the plane'sOperational Evaluation Unit.[288]By June 2013, the RAF had received three F-35s of the 48 on order, initially based at Eglin Air Force Base.[289]In June 2015, the F-35B undertook its first launch from a ski-jump at NAS Patuxent River.[290]On 5 July 2017, it was announced the second UK-based RAF squadron would beNo. 207 Squadron,[291]which reformed on 1 August 2019 as the LightningOperational Conversion Unit.[292]No. 617 Squadron reformed on 18 April 2018 during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., becoming the first RAF front-line squadron to operate the type;[293]receiving its first four F-35Bs on 6 June, flying from MCAS Beaufort toRAF Marham.[294]On 10 January 2019, No. 617 Squadron and its F-35s were declared combat-ready.[295]

April 2019 saw the first overseas deployment of a UK F-35 squadron when No. 617 Squadron went toRAF Akrotiri,Cyprus.[296]This reportedly led on 25 June 2019 to the first combat use of an RAF F-35B: an armed reconnaissance flight searching for Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria.[297]In October 2019,the Dambustersand No. 17 TES F-35s were embarked on HMSQueen Elizabethfor the first time.[298]No. 617 Squadron departed RAF Marham on 22 January 2020 for their firstExercise Red Flagwith the Lightning.[299]As of November 2022, 26 F-35Bs were based in the United Kingdom (with 617 and 207 Squadrons) and a further three were permanently based in the United States (with 17 Squadron) for testing and evaluation purposes.[300]

The UK's second operational squadron is theFleet Air Arm's809 Naval Air Squadron,which stood up in December 2023.[301][302][303]

Australia[edit]

An RAAF F-35A at the 2019Australian International Airshowin Avalon, Victoria

Australia's first F-35, designated A35-001, was manufactured in 2014, with flight training provided through international Pilot Training Centre (PTC) at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.[304]The first two F-35s were unveiled to the Australian public on 3 March 2017 at theAvalon Airshow.[305]By 2021, theRoyal Australian Air Forcehad accepted 26 F-35As, with nine in the US and 17 operating at No 3 Squadron and No 2 Operational Conversion Unit atRAAF Base Williamtown.[304]With 41 trained RAAF pilots and 225 trained technicians for maintenance, the fleet was declared ready to deploy on operations.[306]It was originally expected that Australia would receive all 72 F-35s by 2023,[305]but as of February 2024 Australia has received 63 aircraft. Its final nine aircraft are expected in 2024, and are expected to be the TR-3 version.[307]

Israel[edit]

The F-35I Adir (accompanied by a253 SquadronF-16ISufa) on its debut flight in Israel, December 2016

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) declared the F-35 operationally capable on 6 December 2017.[308]According to Kuwaiti newspaperAl Jarida,in July 2018, a test mission of at least three IAF F-35s flew to Iran's capitalTehranand back toTel Aviv.While publicly unconfirmed, regional leaders acted on the report; Iran's supreme leaderAli Khameneireportedly fired the air force chief and commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps over the mission.[309][310]

On 22 May 2018, IAF chiefAmikam Norkinsaid that the service had employed their F-35Is in two attacks on two battle fronts, marking the first combat operation of an F-35 by any country.[12][311]Norkin said it had been flown "all over the Middle East", and showed photos of an F-35I flying overBeirutin daylight.[312]In July 2019, Israel expanded its strikes against Iranian missile shipments; IAF F-35Is allegedly struck Iranian targets in Iraq twice.[313]

In November 2020, the IAF announced the delivery of a unique F-35Itestbed aircraftamong a delivery of four aircraft received in August, to be used to test and integrate Israeli-produced weapons and electronic systems on F-35s received later. This is the only example of a testbed F-35 delivered to a non-US air force.[314][315]

On 11 May 2021, eight IAF F-35Is took part in an attack on 150 targets in Hamas' rocket array, including 50–70 launch pits in the northernGaza Strip,as part ofOperation Guardian of the Walls.[316]

On 6 March 2022, the IDF stated that on 15 March 2021, F-35Is shot down two Iraniandronescarrying weapons to the Gaza Strip.[317]This was the first operational shoot down and interception carried out by the F-35. They were also used in theIsrael–Hamas war.[318][319][320]

On 2 November 2023, the IDF posted on social media that they used an F-35I to shoot down a Houthi cruise missile over the Red Sea that was fired from Yemen during the Israel-Hamas War.[321]

Italy[edit]

Italy's F-35As were declared to have reached initial operational capability (IOC) on 30 November 2018. At the time Italy had taken delivery of 10 F-35As and one F-35B, with 2 F-35As and the one F-35B being stationed in the U.S. for training, the remaining 8 F-35As were stationed in Amendola.[322]

Japan[edit]

Japan's F-35As were declared to have reached initial operational capability (IOC) on 29 March 2019. At the time Japan had taken delivery of 10 F-35As stationed inMisawa Air Base.Japan plans to eventually acquire a total of 147 F-35s, which will include 42 F-35Bs. It plans to use the latter variant to equip Japan'sIzumo-classmulti-purpose destroyers.[323][324]

Norway[edit]

First Norwegian F-35 Lightning II at Luke Air Force Base

On 6 November 2019 Norway declared initial operational capability (IOC) for its fleet of 15 F-35As out of a planned 52 F-35As.[325]On 6 January 2022 Norway's F-35As replaced its F-16s for the NATO quick reaction alert mission in the high north.[326]

On 22 September 2023, two F-35As from theRoyal Norwegian Air Forcelanded on a motorway nearTervo,Finland, showing, for the first time, that F-35As can operate from paved roads. Unlike the F-35B they cannot land vertically. The fighters were also refueled with their engines running. Commander of theRoyal Norwegian Air Force,Major General Rolf Folland, said: "Fighter jets are vulnerable on the ground, so by being able to use small airfields – and now motorways – (this) increases our survivability in war,"[327]

Netherlands[edit]

On 27 December 2021 the Netherlands declared initial operational capability (IOC) for its fleet of 24 F-35As that it has received to date from its order for 46 F-35As.[328]In 2022, the Netherlands announced they will order an additional six F-35s, totaling 52 aircraft ordered.[329]

Variants[edit]

F-35 configurations
The three main variants:CTOLfor conventional take-off and landing,STOVLfor short take-off and vertical-landing, and CV for carrier variant
F-35A
USAF F-35A in flight, 2013
Video of a USMC F-35B conducting the first vertical landing aboard USSWaspon 3 October 2011
F-35 variants in flight
F-35 variants flying in formation. The F-35C (left) has a larger wing than other variants, while the F-35B (center) has a shorter nozzle and no tailhook.

The F-35 was designed with three initial variants – the F-35A, a CTOL land-based version; the F-35B, a STOVL version capable of use either on land or on aircraft carriers; and the F-35C, a CATOBAR carrier-based version. Since then, there has been work on the design of nationally specific versions for Israel and Canada.

F-35A[edit]

The F-35A is theconventional take-off and landing(CTOL) variant intended for the USAF and other air forces. It is the smallest, lightest version and capable of 9g,the highest of all variants.

Although the F-35A currently conductsaerial refuelingvia boom and receptacle method, the aircraft can be modified forprobe-and-droguerefueling if needed by the customer.[330][331]Adrag chutepod can be installed on the F-35A, with theRoyal Norwegian Air Forcebeing the first operator to adopt it.[332]

F-35B[edit]

See also:Joint Combat Aircraft
F-35B cutaway with lift fan

The F-35B is theshort take-off 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 shaft-driven lift fan (SDLF).[333][334]This variant is limited to 7 g. Unlike other variants, the F-35B has no landing hook. The "STOVL/HOOK" control instead engages conversion between normal and vertical flight.[335][336]The F-35B is capable of Mach 1.6 (1,976 km/h) and can perform vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL).[204]

F-35C[edit]

The F-35C is acarrier-basedvariant designed forcatapult-assisted take-off, barrier arrested recoveryoperations from aircraft carriers. Compared to the F-35A, the F-35C features larger wings withfoldable wingtip sections,larger control surfaces for improved low-speed control, stronger landing gear for the stresses ofcarrierarrested landings, a twin-wheel nose gear, and a strongertailhookfor use with carrierarrestor cables.[234]The larger wing area allows for decreased landing speed while increasing both range and payload. The F-35C is limited to 7.5 g.[337]

F-35I "Adir"[edit]

Main article:Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Israeli procurement

The F-35IAdir(Hebrew:אדיר,meaning "Awesome",[338]or "Mighty One"[339]) is an F-35A with unique Israeli modifications. The US initially refused to allow such changes before permitting Israel to integrate its own electronic warfare systems, including sensors and countermeasures. The main computer has a plug-and-play function for add-on systems; proposals include an external jamming pod, and new Israeli air-to-air missiles and guided bombs in the internal weapon bays.[340][341]A senior IAF official said that the F-35's stealth may be partly overcome within 10 years despite a 30 to 40-year service life, thus Israel's insistence on using their own electronic warfare systems.[342]Israel Aerospace Industries(IAI) has considered a two-seat F-35 concept; an IAI executive noted: "There is a known demand for two seats not only from Israel but from other air forces".[343]IAI plans to produceconformal fuel tanks.[344]

Israel has ordered a total of 75 F-35Is, with 36 already delivered as of November 2022.[345][346]

Proposed variants[edit]

CF-35[edit]

Main article:Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Canadian procurement

The Canadian CF-35 was a proposed variant that would differ from the F-35A through the addition of adrogue parachuteand the potential inclusion of an F-35B/C-style refueling probe.[332][347]In 2012, it was revealed that the CF-35 would employ the same boom refueling system as the F-35A.[348]One alternative proposal would have been the adoption of the F-35C for its probe refueling and lower landing speed; however, the Parliamentary Budget Officer's report cited the F-35C's limited performance and payload as being too high a price to pay.[349]Following the2015 Federal ElectiontheLiberal Party,whose campaign had included a pledge to cancel the F-35 procurement,[350]formed a new government and commenced an open competition to replace the existingCF-18 Hornet.[351]The CF-35 variant was deemed too expensive to develop, and was never considered. The Canadian government decided to not pursue any other modifications in theFuture Fighter Capability Project,and instead focused on the potential procurement of the existing F-35A variant.[352]

On 28 March 2022, the Canadian Government began negotiations with Lockheed Martin for 88 F-35As[353]to replace the aging fleet of CF-18 fighters starting in 2025.[354]The aircraft are reported to cost up to CA$19bn total with a life-cycle cost estimated at CA$77bn over the course of the F-35 program.[355][356]On 9 January 2023, Canada formally confirmed the purchase of 88 aircraft. The initial delivery to theRoyal Canadian Air Forcein 2026 will be 4 aircraft, followed by 6 aircraft each in 2027-2028, and the rest to be delivered by 2032.[357][358]The additional characteristics confirmed for the CF-35 included the drag chute pod for landings at short/icy arctic runways, as well as the 'sidekick' system, which allows the CF-35 to carry up to 6 xAIM-120Dmissiles internally (instead of the typical internal capacity of 4 x AIM-120 missiles on other variants).[359]

New export variant[edit]

In December 2021, it was reported that Lockheed Martin was developing a new variant for an unspecified foreign customer. The Department of Defense released US$49 million in funding for this work.[360]

Operators[edit]

Main articles:Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II operatorsandLockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II procurement
One of the RAAF's first two F-35As in December 2014
A Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-35A in flight
First four RAF F-35Bs on a delivery flight toRAF Marham,June 2018
USN F-35C performs atouch-and-go landingaboardUSSAbraham Lincoln
Republic of Korea Air Force F-35A
Australia

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Australian procurement

Belgium
Canada
  • Royal Canadian Air Force- 88 F-35As (Block 4) ordered on 9 January 2023. The first 4 are expected to be delivered in 2026, 6 in 2027, another 6 in 2028, and the rest delivered by 2032.[366]This will phase out theCF-18sthat were delivered in the 1980s.[367][368]
Denmark
Finland
Germany
Greece
Israel
Italy
Japan
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
  • Polish Air Force– 32 F-35A Block 4 jets with "Technology Refresh 3" software update and drogue parachutes were ordered on 31 January 2020.[398][399]The deliveries are expected to begin in 2024 and conclude in 2030. There are plans for two more squadrons consisting of 16 jets each, for a total of 32 additional F-35s.[400]
South Korea
Singapore
  • Republic of Singapore Air Force– 12 F-35Bs on order as of February 2024 with first 4 to be delivered in 2026; The other 8 are to be delivered in 2028. 8 F-35As have been ordered, and are expected to arrive by 2030.[409][410]
Switzerland
United Kingdom
  • Royal Air ForceandRoyal Navy(owned by the RAF but jointly operated) – 34 F-35Bs received[413][414][415]with 30 in the UK after the loss of one aircraft in November 2021;[300][416][417][418]the other three are in the US where they are used for testing and training.[419]42 (24 FOC fighters and 18 training aircraft) originally intended to be fast-tracked by 2023;[420][421]A total of 48 ordered as of 2021; a total of 138 were originally planned, the expectation in 2021 was to eventually reach around 60 or 80.[422]In 2022, it was announced that the UK would acquire 74 F-35Bs, with a decision on whether or not to go beyond that number, including the possibility of reviving the original plan of 138 aircraft, to be made in the mid-2020s.[423]In February 2024 the United Kingdom appeared to signal a reaffirmation of its commitment to procure 138 F-35B aircraft, as per the original plan.[424]
United States

Potential operators[edit]

Czech Republic
  • Czech Air Force– The U.S. State Department approved a possible sale to the Czech Republic of F-35 aircraft, munitions and related equipment worth up to $5.62 billion, according to a 29 June 2023 announcement.[428]On 29 January 2024, the Czech government signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States for the purchase of 24 F-35A fighters.[429]
Romania
  • Romanian Air Force– Romania plans to buy 48 F-35 aircraft in two phases.[430]The first phase of the purchase, involving 32 F-35 aircraft, was approved by the Romanian Parliament with an estimated cost of $6.5 billion.[431]
Portugal
  • Portuguese Air Force— In April 2024, General João Cartaxo Alves, chief of staff of the Portuguese Air Force, said his country would switch from the F-16 to the F-35, a process that he said "had already begun", would take 20 years, and would ultimately cost 5.5 billion euros.[432]

Order and approval cancellations[edit]

Republic of China
  • Republic of China Air Force– Taiwan has requested to buy the F-35 from the US. However this has been rejected by the US in fear of a critical response from China.[433]In March 2009 Taiwan again was looking to buy U.S. fifth-generation fighter jets. However, in September 2011, during a visit to the US, the Deputy Minister of National Defense of Taiwan confirmed that while the country was busy upgrading its current F-16s it was still also looking to procure a next-generation aircraft such as the F-35. This received the usual critical response from China.[434]Taiwan renewed its push for an F-35 purchase duringDonald Trump's presidencyin early 2017, again causing criticism from China.[435]In March 2018, Taiwan once again reiterated its interest in the F-35 in light of an anticipated round of arms procurement from the United States. The F-35B STOVL variant is reportedly the political favorite as it would allow the Republic of China Air Force to continue operations after its limited number of runways were to be bombed in an escalation with thePeople's Republic of China.[436]In April 2018 however it became clear that the U.S. government was reluctant about selling the F-35 to Taiwan over worries of Chinese spies within theTaiwanese Armed Forces,possibly compromising classified data concerning the aircraft and granting Chinese military officials access. In November 2018, it was reported that Taiwanese military leadership had abandoned the procurement of the F-35 in favor of a larger number ofF-16V Viperaircraft. The decision was reportedly motivated by concerns about industry independence, as well as cost and previously raised espionage concerns.[437]
Thailand
Turkey
  • Turkish Air Force– 30 were ordered,[442]of up to 100 total planned.[443][444]Future purchases have been banned by the U.S. with contracts canceled by early 2020, following Turkey's decision to buy theS-400 missile systemfrom Russia.[445]Six of Turkey's 30 ordered F-35As were completed as of 2019 (they are still kept in a hangar in the United States as of 2023[446][447]and so far haven't been transferred to the USAF, despite a modification in the 2020 Fiscal Year defense budget by the U.S. Congress which gives authority to do so if necessary),[448][449]and two more were at the assembly line in 2020.[448][449]The first four F-35As were delivered toLuke Air Force Basein 2018[450]and 2019[451]for the training of Turkish pilots.[452][453]On July 20, 2020, the U.S. government had formally approved the seizure of eight F-35As originally bound for Turkey and their transfer to the USAF, together with a contract to modify them to USAF specifications.[454]The U.S. has not refunded the $1.4 billion payment made by Turkey for purchasing the F-35A fighters as of January 2023.[446][447]On 1 February 2024, the United States expressed willingness to readmit Turkey into the F-35 program if Turkey agrees to give up its S-400 system.[455][456]
United Arab Emirates
  • United Arab Emirates Air Force– Up to 50 F-35As planned.[457]But on 27 January 2021, the Biden administration temporarily suspended the F-35 sales to the UAE.[458]After pausing the bill to review the sale, the Biden administration confirmed to move forward with the deal on 13 April 2021.[459]In December 2021 UAE withdrew from purchasing F-35s as they did not agree to the additional terms of the transaction from the US.[460][461]

Accidents and notable incidents[edit]

Main article:List of accidents and incidents involving the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

Various models of the F-35 have been involved in incidents since 2014. They have often involved operator error or mechanical issues, which has set back the program.[462]In comparison to most military aircraft, however, it is described as being safe.[463]

Specifications (F-35A)[edit]

F-35 3-view schematics

Data fromLockheed Martin: F-35 specifications,[464][465][466][467]Lockheed Martin: F-35 weaponry,[468]Lockheed Martin: F-35 Program Status,[105]F-35 Program brief,[154]FY2019 Select Acquisition Report (SAR),[337]Director of Operational Test & Evaluation[469]

General characteristics

  • Crew:1
  • Length:51.4 ft (15.7 m)
  • Wingspan:35 ft (11 m)
  • Height:14.4 ft (4.4 m)
  • Wing area:460 sq ft (43 m2)
  • Aspect ratio:2.66
  • Empty weight:29,300 lb (13,290 kg)
  • Gross weight:49,540 lb (22,471 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight:65,918 lb (29,900 kg)[470]
  • Fuel capacity:18,250 lb (8,278 kg) internal
  • Powerplant:1 ×Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100afterburningturbofan,28,000 lbf (125 kN) thrust dry, 43,000 lbf (191 kN) with afterburner

Performance

  • Maximum speed:Mach 1.6 at high altitude
    • Mach 1.06, 700 knots (806 mph; 1,296 km/h) at sea level
  • Range:1,500 nmi (1,700 mi, 2,800 km)
  • Combat range:669 nmi (770 mi, 1,239 km) interdiction mission (air-to-surface) on internal fuel
    • 760 nmi (870 mi; 1,410 km), air-to-air configuration on internal fuel[471]
  • Service ceiling:50,000 ft (15,000 m)
  • g limits:+9.0
  • Wing loading:107.7 lb/sq ft (526 kg/m2) at gross weight
  • Thrust/weight:0.87 at gross weight (1.07 at loaded weight with 50% internal fuel)

Armament

Avionics

Differences between variants[edit]

F-35A
CTOL 		F-35B
STOVL 		F-35C
CV (Carrier Variant)
Length 51.4 ft (15.7 m) 51.2 ft (15.6 m) 51.5 ft (15.7 m)
Wingspan 35 ft (10.7 m) 35 ft (10.7 m) 43 ft (13.1 m)
Height 14.4 ft (4.39 m) 14.3 ft (4.36 m) 14.7 ft (4.48 m)
Wing Area 460 sq ft (42.74 m2) 460 sq ft (42.74 m2) 668 sq ft (62.06 m2)
Empty weight 28,999 lb (13,154 kg) 32,472 lb (14,729 kg) 34,581 lb (15,686 kg)
Internal fuel 18,250 lb (8,278 kg) 13,500 lb (6,123 kg) 19,750 lb (8,958 kg)
Weapons payload 18,000 lb (8,160 kg) 15,000 lb (6,800 kg) 18,000 lb (8,160 kg)
Max takeoff weight 70,000 lb (31,800 kg) class 60,000 lb (27,200 kg) class 70,000 lb (31,800 kg) class
Range >1,200 nmi (2,200 km) >900 nmi (1,700 km) >1,200 nmi (2,200 km)
Combat radius on
internal fuel 		669 nmi (1,239 km) 505 nmi (935 km) 670 nmi (1,241 km)
Thrust/weight
• full fuel:
• 50% fuel:
0.87
1.07
0.90
1.04
0.75
0.91
g limit +9.0 +7.0 +7.5

Appearances in media[edit]

Main article:Aircraft in fiction § F-35 Lightning II

See also[edit]

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

Notes[edit]

  1. ^By 2014, the program was "US$163 billion over budget [and] seven years behind schedule".[9]
  2. ^Lockheed acquired General Dynamics fighter division at Fort Worth in 1993 and merged with Martin Marietta in 1995 to form Lockheed Martin.
  3. ^As these were concept demonstrator aircraft for risk reduction, they did not need to have the internal structure or most subsystems of the final aircraft as a weapon system.
  4. ^The F-35 swivel nozzle design was pioneered by the Convair Model 200.[22]
  5. ^The thrust vectoring nozzle would eventually be replaced by an axisymmetric low-observable nozzle to reduce weight.
  6. ^FACO is also performed in Italy and Japan for some partner and export customers as part of the industrial benefits from international cooperation.
  7. ^This first prototype lacked the weight optimization from SWAT.
  8. ^Early F-35Bs have a service life as low as 2,100 hours before retrofits as seen on Lot 9 and later aircraft.
  9. ^Adaptive cycle engine technology had been under development underAir Force Life Cycle Management Center's (AFLCMC)Adaptive Engine Transition Program(AETP) and its precursors.
  10. ^Turkey was the sole supplier of several F-35 parts, thus forcing the program to find replacement vendors.[87]
  11. ^The F-35C has additional ailerons at the folding sections of the wings.
  12. ^In 2014, Michael Gilmore, Director of Operational Test & Evaluation, stated that "software development, integration in the contractor labs, and delivery of mature capability to flight test continued to be behind schedule."[115]
  13. ^Rockwell Collins and Elbit Systems formed the joint venture Vision Systems International (VSI), later renamed Collins Elbit Vision Systems (CEVS).
  14. ^In 2002,solid-state laserweapons were reportedly being developed for the F-35.[186][187][188]
  15. ^"Bubbling and blistering" of the horizontal tails and tail booms were observed once during flutter tests of the F-35B and C in late 2011; according to the program office, the problem has only occurred once despite numerous attempts to replicate it, and an improved spray-on coating has been implemented since as a mitigation measure. On 17 December 2019, the Pentagon program office closed the issue with no further actions planned, and instead is imposing a time limit on high-speed flight for the F-35B and C to reduce the risk of damaging the stealth coatings and antennas located on the back of the aircraft.[237][238]
  16. ^Wing drop is an uncommanded roll that can occur during high-g transsonic maneuvering.
  17. ^F-35B and F-35C have the cannon in an external pod with 220 rounds.

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdDrew, James (31 July 2015)."First operational F-35 squadron declared ready for combat".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 4 December 2020.
  2. ^abcInsinna, Valerie (2 August 2016)."Air Force Declares F-35A Ready for Combat".Defense News.
  3. ^abcdEckstein, Megan (28 February 2019)."Navy Declares Initial Operational Capability for F-35C Joint Strike Fighter".USNI News.
  4. ^Finnerty, Ryan (19 January 2024)."Lockheed completes assembly of 1,000th F-35".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 18 January 2024.Retrieved19 January2024.
  5. ^"F-35 Global Partnerships".Lockheed Martin.Archived fromthe originalon 2 September 2012.Retrieved31 October2012.
  6. ^Dudley, Richard (5 March 2012)."Program Partners Confirm Support for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter".Defence Update.
  7. ^abPawlyk, Oriana (28 December 2020)."Key US Ally Declares Its F-35s Ready for Combat".Military.com.10th paragraph.Retrieved29 December2020.
  8. ^Boehm, Eric (26 April 2022)."The $1.7 Trillion F-35 Fighter Jet Program Is About To Get More Expensive".reason.com.Reason.Retrieved27 April2022.
  9. ^Drusch, Andrea (16 February 2014)."Fighter plane cost overruns detailed".Politico.Retrieved29 September2015.
  10. ^Miller, Kathleen; Capaccio, Tony & Ivory, Danielle (22 February 2013)."Flawed F-35 Too Big to Kill as Lockheed Hooks 45 States".Bloomberg L.P.
  11. ^Ciralsky, Adam (16 September 2013)."Will the F-35, the U.S. Military's Flaw-Filled, Years-Overdue Joint Strike Fighter, Ever Actually Fly?".Vanity Fair.Retrieved29 September2015.
  12. ^abAhronheim, Anna (22 May 2018)."IAF Commander: Israel First To Use F-35 Jet In Combat".The Jerusalem Post.
  13. ^ab"Select Acquisition Report: F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program (F-35) as of FY 2020 President's Budget"(PDF).Washington Headquarters Services.17 April 2019. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 6 June 2020.Retrieved5 February2020.
  14. ^"US European Command/NATO May Have 450 F-35s by 2030".Aviation Today.14 June 2021.
  15. ^Drew, James (25 March 2016)."Lockheed F-35 service life extended to 2070".FlightGlobal.
  16. ^Rich, Stadler (October 1994)."Common Lightweight Fighter"(PDF).Code One Magazine.Lockheed.Archived(PDF)from the original on 29 January 2020.
  17. ^ab"History (Pre-JAST)".Joint Strike Fighter.Archived fromthe originalon 6 December 2019.Retrieved24 January2020.
  18. ^ab"History (JAST)".Joint Strike Fighter.Archived fromthe originalon 15 July 2019.Retrieved24 January2020.
  19. ^Barrie, Douglas; Norris, Guy & Warwick, Graham (4 April 1995)."Short take-off, low funding".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 17 July 2015.Retrieved24 January2020.
  20. ^ab"The JSF UK Industry Team".Martin Baker Aircraft Company Limited.Archived fromthe originalon 27 April 2006.
  21. ^"US, UK sign JAST agreement".Aerospace Daily.New York: McGraw-Hill. 25 November 1995. p. 451.
  22. ^Renshaw, Kevin (12 August 2014)."F-35B Lightning II Three-Bearing Swivel Nozzle".Code One Magazine.
  23. ^Wilson, George C. (22 January 2002)."The engine that could".Government Executive.Archived fromthe originalon 19 October 2013.
  24. ^"Propulsion system for a vertical and short takeoff and landing aircraft, United States Patent 5209428".PatentGenius.com.7 May 1990. Archived fromthe originalon 25 February 2012.
  25. ^Gunston, Bill(1997).Yakovlev Aircraft since 1924.London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. p. 16.ISBN1-55750-978-6.
  26. ^Welt, Flying (29 October 2023)."Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II: Top 10 things to know".Flying Welt.Retrieved21 November2023.
  27. ^abcSheridan, Arthur E.; Burnes, Robert (13 August 2019)."F-35 Program History: From JAST to IOC".American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA):50.doi:10.2514/5.9781624105678.0001.0076.ISBN978-1-62410-566-1.
  28. ^Bevilaqua, Paul M. (September 2005)."Joint Strike Fighter Dual-Cycle Propulsion System".Journal of Propulsion and Power.21(5): 778–783.doi:10.2514/1.15228.
  29. ^ab"History (JSF)".Joint Strike Fighter.Archived fromthe originalon 15 July 2019.Retrieved24 January2020.
  30. ^Schreiber, Liev (3 February 2003)."Battle of the X-Planes".NOVA.PBS.Archivedfrom the original on 29 June 2019.Battle of the X-Planes.Retrieved25 January2020.
  31. ^"History (F-35 Acquisition)".Joint Strike Fighter.Archived fromthe originalon 6 July 2019.Retrieved23 January2021.
  32. ^Parsch, Andreas (27 April 2006)."Non-Standard DOD Aircraft Designations".Designation Systems.
  33. ^Keijsper 2007, pp. 122, 124.
  34. ^Hehs, Eric (15 May 2008)."X to F: F-35 Lightning II And Its X-35 Predecessors".Code One Magazine.Lockheed Martin.
  35. ^Keijsper 2007, p. 119
  36. ^abNorris, Guy (13 August 2010). "Alternate JSF Engine Thrust Beats Target".Aviation Week.
  37. ^Fulghum, David A.; Wall, Robert (19 September 2004). "USAF Plans for Fighters Change".Aviation Week & Space Technology.
  38. ^Keijsper 2007, p. 124,
  39. ^Pappalardo, Joe (November 2006)."Weight Watchers: How a team of engineers and a crash diet saved the Joint Strike Fighter".Air & Space Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on 25 May 2014.
  40. ^Knotts, Keith P. (9 July 2013)."CF-35 Lightning II: Canada's Next Generation Fighter"(PDF).Westdef.com.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 21 February 2014.
  41. ^"'Lightning II' moniker given to Joint Strike Fighter ".U.S. Air Force.7 June 2006.
  42. ^Rogoway, Tyler (17 May 2018)."The Air Force's Elite Weapons School Has Given The F-35 A New Nickname".The War Zone.Archived fromthe originalon 13 August 2018.
  43. ^"F-35 Software Development".Lockheed Martin.Archived fromthe originalon 2 July 2020.Retrieved2 February2020.
  44. ^"GAO-06-356: DOD Plans to Enter Production before Testing Demonstrates Acceptable Performance"(PDF).Government Accountability Office.March 2006. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 1 August 2020.Retrieved4 December2011.
  45. ^Insinna, Valerie (28 April 2018)."F-35 program office wraps up final developmental flight test".Defense News.
  46. ^Haynes, Deborah(15 June 2019)."F-35 jets: Chinese-owned company making parts for top-secret UK-US fighters".Sky News.
  47. ^Doffman, Zak (15 June 2019)."U.S. and U.K. F-35 Jets Include 'Core' Circuit Boards From Chinese-Owned Company".Forbes.
  48. ^Minnick, Wendell (24 March 2016)."Chinese Businessman Pleads Guilty of Spying on F-35 and F-22".Defense News.Retrieved9 April2019.
  49. ^Cox, Bob (1 March 2010). "Internal Pentagon memo predicts that F-35 testing won't be complete until 2016".Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  50. ^Capaccio, Tony (6 January 2010)."Lockheed F-35 Purchases Delayed in Pentagon's Fiscal 2011 Plan".Bloomberg BusinessWeek.Archived fromthe originalon 10 January 2010.
  51. ^Charette, Robert (12 September 2012)."F-35 Program Continues to Struggle with Software".IEEE Spectrum.
  52. ^"FY18 DOD Programs F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)"(PDF).Director, Operational Test and Evaluation.2018. p. 25. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 26 June 2019.
  53. ^"Is the F-35 worth it?".60 Minutes.16 February 2014. CBS News.
  54. ^Tirpak, John (14 March 2016)."All For One and One for All".Air Force.
  55. ^Shalal, Andrea (27 April 2015)."U.S. watchdog finds quality violations in Pratt work on F-35 engine".Reuters.
  56. ^Barrett, Paul (10 April 2017)."Danger Zone".Bloomberg Businessweek.pp. 50–55.
  57. ^Schneider, Greg (27 October 2001)."Lockheed Martin Beats Boeing for Fighter Contract".The Washington Post.
  58. ^Dao, James (27 October 2001)."Lockheed Wins $200 Billion Deal for Fighter Jet".The New York Times.
  59. ^Merle, Renae (15 March 2005)."GAO Questions Cost Of Joint Strike Fighter".The Washington Post.
  60. ^Shalal-Esa, Andrea (17 September 2012)."Pentagon tells Lockheed to shape up on F-35 fighter".Reuters.
  61. ^Tirpak, John A. (8 January 2014)."The Cost of Teamwork".Air Force.Arlington, Virginia: Air Force Association. Archived fromthe originalon 25 May 2014.Retrieved12 January2014.
  62. ^Capaccio, Anthony (10 July 2017)."F-35 Program Costs Jump to $406.5 Billion in Latest Estimate".Bloomberg.
  63. ^Astore, William J. (16 September 2019)."The Pentagon's $1.5 Trillion Addiction to the F-35 Fighter".The Nation.Archived fromthe originalon 6 December 2019.Retrieved30 October2019.
  64. ^Tirpak, John (29 October 2019)."Massive $34 Billion F-35 Contract Includes Price Drop as Readiness Improves".Air Force.
  65. ^"F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Development Is Nearly Complete, but Deficiencies Found in Testing Need to Be Resolved"(PDF).GAO.June 2018.Archived(PDF)from the original on 6 June 2018.Retrieved12 June2019.
  66. ^abInsinna, Valerie (12 March 2024)."Pentagon finally approves F-35 for full rate production after 5-year delay".Breaking Defense.
  67. ^Insinna, Valerie (6 December 2019)."After a couple months delay, the F-35 moves into operational tests".Defense News.
  68. ^Tirpak, John (25 February 2019)."Keeping the F-35 Ahead of the Bad Guys".Air Force.
  69. ^"Lockheed Martin Awarded $1.8 Billion for F-35 Block 4 Development".Defense World.8 June 2019. Archived fromthe originalon 31 July 2020.Retrieved25 June2024.
  70. ^Tegler, Eric."International F-35 Customers, Your Airplanes Will Be Delayed".Forbes.
  71. ^Zazulia, Nick (19 March 2019)."U.S. Defense Department Plans to Spend $6.6B on F-35 Continuing Development Through 2024".Avionics International.
  72. ^abTrimble, Steven (9 July 2018)."USAF starts work on defining adaptive engine for future fighter".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 11 January 2020.
  73. ^"USAF Launches F-35 Advanced Engine Effort".Janes.31 January 2022.
  74. ^abMarrow, Michael (13 March 2023)."Air Force will not develop new F-35 engine, keeping Pratt as sole contractor".Breaking Defense.
  75. ^Decker, Audrey (13 July 2023)."F-35 test squadron works to wring out upgrade problems".Defense One.Retrieved17 April2024.
  76. ^Decker, Audrey (17 April 2024)."F-35 deliveries could resume in July, but the new jets won't be combat-ready for a year or more".Defense One.Retrieved17 April2024.
  77. ^Warwick, Graham (12 September 2013)."Northrop Develops Laser Missile Jammer For F-35".Aviation Week.Archived fromthe originalon 20 April 2014.Retrieved2 February2020.
  78. ^"Israel Wants To Put New Equipment Inside The F-35: Exclusive Q&A With Top Officer".21 September 2021.
  79. ^"Estimated JSF Air Vehicle Procurement Quantities"(PDF).Joint Strike Fighter.April 2010. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 27 June 2011.
  80. ^"F-35 Lightning: The Joint Strike Fighter Program, 2012".Defense Industry Daily.30 October 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 25 January 2013.
  81. ^Schnasi, Katherine V. (May 2004)."Joint Strike Fighter Acquisition: Observations on the Supplier Base"(PDF).US General Accounting Office.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 16 August 2020.Retrieved8 February2006.
  82. ^"Industry Canada F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Canada's Next Generation Fighter Capability".Government of Canada.18 November 2002. Archived fromthe originalon 22 September 2010.Retrieved25 November2010.
  83. ^Combat Aircraft Monthly,September 2010, p. 24.
  84. ^Winters, Vice Adm. Mat (9 December 2018)."Head of F-35 Joint Program Office: Stealth fighter enters the new year in midst of a growing phase".Defense News.Retrieved5 February2020.
  85. ^Manson, Katrina; Pitel, Laura (19 June 2018)."US Senate blocks F-35 sales to Turkey".Financial Times.Archived fromthe originalon 10 December 2022.Retrieved19 June2018.
  86. ^Liptak, Kevin; Gaouette, Nicole (17 July 2019)."Trump blames Obama as he reluctantly bans F-35 sales to Turkey".CNN.Retrieved17 July2019.
  87. ^Host, Pat (1 October 2018)."F-35 chief reaffirms Turkey's status as committed programme partner".Jane's 360.Archived fromthe originalon 3 October 2018.
  88. ^ab"Capabilities: F-35 Lightning II".Lockheed Martin.Archived fromthe originalon 24 July 2010.
  89. ^Kent, John R.; Geisel, Chris (16 November 2010). "F-35 STOVL supersonic".Lockheed Martin.
  90. ^"Open System Architecture (OSA) Secure Processing"(PDF).L3 Technologies.March 2011. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 4 November 2016.
  91. ^Adams, Charlotte (1 September 2003)."JSF: Integrated Avionics Par Excellence".Aviation Today.Archived fromthe originalon 16 November 2016.Retrieved25 October2015.
  92. ^Amaani, USAF Tech. Sgt. Lyle (3 April 2009)."Air Force takes combat air acquisitions priorities to Hill".U.S. Air Force.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2023.
  93. ^CFD predictions of wing pressure distributions on the F-35 at angles-of-attack for transonic maneuvres AIAA 2007 4433
  94. ^Ryberg, Eric S. (26 February 2002)."The Influence of Ship Configuration on the Design of the Joint Strike Fighter"(PDF).Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division.p. 5.Archived(PDF)from the original on 9 December 2016.Retrieved1 December2013.
  95. ^Whittle, Richard (February 2012)."The Ultimate Fighter?".Air & Space/Smithsonian Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on 30 September 2023.Retrieved24 February2013.
  96. ^abHehs, Eric (15 July 2000)."JSF Diverterless Supersonic Inlet".Code One Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on 30 September 2023.Retrieved28 December2012.
  97. ^Sloan, Jeff (19 October 2009)."Skinning the F-35 fighter".Composites World.Archivedfrom the original on 23 October 2023.Retrieved24 November2016.
  98. ^"Contract Awarded To Validate Process For JSF".Aerospace Manufacturing and Design.17 May 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 14 March 2012.
  99. ^Trimble, Stephen (26 May 2011)."Lockheed Martin reveals F-35 to feature nanocomposite structures".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 30 May 2011.
  100. ^Nativi, Andy (5 March 2009)."F-35 Air Combat Skills Analyzed".Aviation Week.Archived fromthe originalon 26 December 2010.
  101. ^Crébas, Frank (May 2018)."F-35 – Out of the Shadows".Combat Aircraft Monthly.Key Publishing. Archived fromthe originalon 10 March 2021.Retrieved8 February2020.
  102. ^"The F-35's Race Against Time".Air & Space Forces Magazine.Retrieved7 June2024.
  103. ^"Flying The F-35: An Interview With Jon Beesley, F-35 Chief Test Pilot".Lockheed Martin.Archived fromthe originalon 18 December 2014.Retrieved25 November2010.
  104. ^Seligman, Lara (1 March 2016)."Norwegian F-35 Pilot Counters Controversial Dogfighting Report".Defense News.Archivedfrom the original on 26 November 2017.
  105. ^ab"F-35 Lightning II Program Status and Fast Facts"(PDF).F-35.ca.Lockheed Martin. 13 March 2012. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 24 May 2013.
  106. ^George, Eric (1 May 2010)."F-35 avionics: an interview with the Joint Strike Fighter's director of mission systems and software".Military & Aerospace Electronics(Interview). Vol. 21, no. 5. PennWell Corporation. Archived fromthe originalon 1 January 2016.
  107. ^Sherman, Ron (1 July 2006)."F-35 Electronic Warfare Suite: More Than Self-Protection".Aviation Today.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2023.Retrieved4 August2010.
  108. ^Robb, John H. (11 February 2001)."Hey C and C++ Can Be Used In Safety Critical Applications Too!".Journal of Cyber Security and Information Systems.Archived fromthe originalon 16 February 2013.
  109. ^Warwick, Graham (7 June 2010)."Flight Tests Of Next F-35 Mission-System Block Underway".Aviation Week.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  110. ^"Raytheon Selects RACE++ Multicomputers for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter".EmbeddedStar.com.Archived fromthe originalon 27 October 2015.Retrieved25 October2015.
  111. ^McHale, John (1 February 2010)."F-35 Joint Strike Fighter leverages COTS for avionics systems".Military & Aerospace Electronics.PennWell Corporation. Archived fromthe originalon 21 September 2013.
  112. ^Philips, E. H. (5 February 2007). "The Electric Jet".Aviation Week & Space Technology.
  113. ^Parker, Ian (1 June 2007)."Reducing Risk on the Joint Strike Fighter".Aviation Today.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2023.Retrieved8 July2007.
  114. ^Keller, John (16 June 2013)."Tens of thousands of Xilinx FPGAs to be supplied by Lockheed Martin for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter avionics".Intelligent Aerospace.Archived fromthe originalon 12 January 2014.Retrieved16 June2013.
  115. ^FY2013 DOD PROGRAMS F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)
  116. ^Reed, John (23 November 2010)."Schwartz Concerned About F-35A Delays".DoD Buzz.Archived fromthe originalon 26 November 2010.
  117. ^abLyle, Amaani (6 March 2014)."Program executive officer describes F-35 progress".U.S. Air Force.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2023.
  118. ^"APG-81 (F-35 Lightning II)".Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems.Archived fromthe originalon 23 January 2013.Retrieved4 August2007.
  119. ^"F-35 Distributed Aperture System (EO DAS)".Northrop Grumman.Archived fromthe originalon 2 April 2010.Retrieved6 April2010.
  120. ^Lemons, Greg; Carrington, Karen; Frey, Dr. Thomas; Ledyard, John (24 June 2018)."F-35 Mission Systems Design, Development, and Verification"(PDF).American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.doi:10.2514/6.2018-3519.ISBN978-1-62410-556-2.S2CID115841087.Archived(PDF)from the original on 26 May 2019.Retrieved1 February2020.
  121. ^"Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control: Joint Strike Fighter Electro-Optical Targeting System".Lockheed Martin.Archived fromthe originalon 6 January 2009.Retrieved11 April2008.
  122. ^"ASQ242 Datasheet"(PDF).Northrop Grumman.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 23 February 2014.
  123. ^"F-35 jet fighters to take integrated avionics to a whole new level".Military & Aerospace Electronics.PennWell Corporation. 1 May 2003.
  124. ^"Israel, US Negotiate $450 Million F-35I Avionic Enhancements".Defense Update.27 July 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 30 July 2012.
  125. ^Donald, David (17 June 2019)."F-35 Looks to the Future".Aviation International News.Archivedfrom the original on 1 October 2023.Retrieved1 February2020.
  126. ^Drew, James (10 September 2015)."Lockheed reveals Advanced EOTS targeting sensor for F-35 Block 4".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 25 February 2020.
  127. ^Abbott, Rich (18 June 2018)."Raytheon Picked to Produce F-35 Sensor".Aviation Today.Archivedfrom the original on 20 March 2023.
  128. ^Clark, Colin (15 December 2014)."Pawlikowski On Air Force Offset Strategy: F-35s Flying Drone Fleets".Breaking Defense.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2023.
  129. ^abHelfrich, Emma (3 January 2023)."F-35 Will Get New Radar Under Massive Upgrade Initiative".The Drive.Archivedfrom the original on 19 January 2024.Retrieved4 January2023.
  130. ^"Fast History: Lockheed's Diverterless Supersonic Inlet Testbed F-16".Aviation Intel.22 October 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 7 September 2013.
  131. ^Tirpak, John A. (26 November 2014)."The F-35 on Final Approach".Air & Space Forces Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on 25 June 2023.Retrieved1 February2020.
  132. ^Clark, Colin (11 March 2015)."Threat Data Biggest Worry For F-35A's IOC; But It 'Will Be On Time'".Breaking Defense.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2023.Retrieved31 March2015.
  133. ^Clark, Colin (6 June 2014)."Gen. Mike Hostage On The F-35; No Growlers Needed When War Starts".Breaking Defense.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2023.
  134. ^abButler, Amy (17 May 2010)."New, Classified Stealth Concept Could Affect JSF Maintenance Costs".Aviation Week.Archivedfrom the original on 10 March 2021.
  135. ^"USAF FY00 activity on the JSF".Director, Operational Test & Evaluation.Archived fromthe originalon 23 July 2011.
  136. ^"Request for Binding Information Response to the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defence"(PDF).Lockheed Martin.April 2008. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 12 October 2012 – viaGovernment.no.
  137. ^Capaccio, Tony (4 May 2011)."Lockheed Martin's F-35 Fighter Jet Passes Initial Stealth Hurdle".Bloomberg.Archived fromthe originalon 25 February 2015.
  138. ^"F-35 – Beyond Stealth".Defense-Update.14 June 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2023.Retrieved5 April2019.
  139. ^Ralston, James; Heagy, James; Sullivan, Roger (September 1998)."Environmental/Noise Effects on UHF/VHF UWB SAR"(PDF).Defense Technical Information Center.Archived(PDF)from the original on 2 January 2015.Retrieved2 January2015.
  140. ^Plopsky, Guy; Bozzato, Fabrizio (21 August 2014)."The F-35 vs. The VHF Threat".The Diplomat.Archivedfrom the original on 6 June 2023.
  141. ^Brewer, Jeffrey; Meadows, Shawn (Summer 2006)."Survivability of the Next Strike Fighter".Aircraft Survivability: Susceptibility Reduction.Joint Aircraft Survivability Program Office. p. 23. Archived fromthe originalon 1 December 2012.Retrieved22 November2010– via Defense Technical Information Center.
  142. ^Lockie, Alex (5 May 2017)."This strange mod to the F-35 kills its stealth near Russian defenses – and there's good reason for that".Business Insider.Archivedfrom the original on 25 December 2023.
  143. ^Alaimo, Carol Ann (30 November 2008)."Noisy F-35 Still Without A Home".Arizona Daily Star.Archivedfrom the original on 7 April 2023.
  144. ^"Report on Jet Engine Noise Reduction"(PDF).Naval Research Advisory Committee.April 2009.Archived(PDF)from the original on 31 July 2020.Retrieved31 May2022.
  145. ^"F-35 Acoustics Based on Edwards AFB Acoustics, Test".JSF Program Office & Lockheed Martin.April 2009.
  146. ^"F-35, F-16 noise difference small, Netherlands study shows".Aviation Week.31 May 2016.
  147. ^Ledbetter, Stewart (31 May 2019)."Wonder no more: F-35 jet noise levels finally confirmed at BTV".NBC News. Archived fromthe originalon 29 May 2023.
  148. ^Hensley, Senior Airman James (19 May 2015)."F-35 pilot training begins at Luke".U.S. Air Force.Archivedfrom the original on 5 April 2023.Retrieved30 January2020.
  149. ^Schutte, John (10 October 2007)."Researchers fine-tune F-35 pilot-aircraft speech system".U.S. Air Force Materiel Command.Archived from the original on 22 January 2024.Retrieved26 January2024.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  150. ^"VSI's Helmet Mounted Display System flies on Joint Strike Fighter".Rockwell Collins.10 April 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 17 July 2011.
  151. ^"Martin-Baker".The JSF UK Industry Team.Archived fromthe originalon 21 October 2008.Retrieved23 November2009.
  152. ^Lowell, Capt. Jonathan (25 August 2019)."Keeping cool over Salt Lake".U.S. Air Force.Archivedfrom the original on 13 August 2023.Retrieved30 January2020.
  153. ^Zazulia, Nick (24 August 2018)."F-35: Under the Helmet of the World's Most Advanced Fighter".Avionics International.Archivedfrom the original on 27 December 2023.
  154. ^abcDavis, Brigadier General Charles R. (26 September 2006)."F-35 Program Brief"(PDF).U.S. Air Force.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 25 July 2020 – via Joint Strike Fighter.
  155. ^"F-35 Distributed Aperture System EO DAS".YouTube.F35JSFVideos. 4 May 2009. Archived from the original on 17 November 2009.Retrieved23 November2009.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  156. ^Davenport, Christian (1 April 2015)."Meet the most fascinating part of the F-35: The $400,000 helmet".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on 1 April 2015.Retrieved2 August2015.
  157. ^Seligman, Lara (14 October 2015)."F-35's Heavier Helmet Complicates Ejection Risks".Defense News.Archivedfrom the original on 17 November 2017.
  158. ^"Lockheed Martin Awards F-35 Contract".Zack's Investment Research.17 November 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 30 April 2012.
  159. ^Warwick, Graham (21 April 2011). "Lockheed Weighs Alternate F-35 Helmet Display".Aviation Week.
  160. ^Carey, Bill (15 February 2012)."BAE Drives Dual Approach To Fixing F-35 Helmet Display Issues".Aviation International News.Archivedfrom the original on 27 January 2023.Retrieved16 February2012.
  161. ^"Lockheed Martin Selects BAE Systems to Supply F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Helmet Display Solution".BAE Systems.10 October 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2023.
  162. ^abMajumdar, Dave (10 October 2013)."F-35 JPO drops development of BAE alternative helmet".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 29 April 2014.
  163. ^Williams, Dan (30 October 2012)."Lockheed Cites Good Reports on Night Flights of F-35 Helmet".Reuters.Archivedfrom the original on 24 September 2015.Retrieved1 July2017.
  164. ^Eshel, Noam (25 August 2010)."Small Diameter Bomb II – GBU-53/B".Defense Update.Archivedfrom the original on 24 September 2023.Retrieved28 August2010.
  165. ^"F-35B STOVL Variant".Lockheed Martin.Archived fromthe originalon 23 February 2009.Retrieved25 November2010.
  166. ^ab"Spear Capability 3".MBDASystems.9 June 2019. Archived fromthe originalon 11 May 2023.This new, F-35 Lightning II internal bay compatible, air-to-surface missile
  167. ^abMarrow, Michael (8 March 2024)."F-35A officially certified to carry nuclear bomb".Breaking Defense.
  168. ^Keller, John (17 August 2018)."Navy asks BAE Systems to build T-1687/ALE-70(V) electronic warfare (EW) towed decoys for F-35".Military Aerospace Electronics.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2024.
  169. ^Keijsper 2007, pp. 220, 239.
  170. ^Hewson, Robert (4 March 2008)."UK changes JSF configuration for ASRAAM".Jane's.Archived fromthe originalon 16 September 2012.
  171. ^Tran, Pierre (22 February 2008). "MBDA Shows Off ASRAAM".Defense News.
  172. ^"JSF Suite: BRU-67, BRU-68, LAU-147 – Carriage Systems: Pneumatic Actuated, Single Carriage".ITT.com.2009.[dead link]
  173. ^abDigger, Davis (30 October 2007)."JSF Range & Airspace Requirements"(PDF).Headquarters Air Combat Command.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 19 December 2008 – via Defense Technical Information Center.
  174. ^ab"F-35 gun system".General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products.Archived fromthe originalon 6 June 2011."GAU-22/A"(PDF).General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 17 July 2011.Retrieved 7 April 2011.
  175. ^abCapaccio, Tony (30 January 2020)."The Gun On the Air Force's F-35 Has 'Unacceptable' Accuracy".Bloomberg.Retrieved25 March2024.
  176. ^abcTrevithick, Joseph (22 March 2024)."F-35A's Beleaguered 25mm Cannon Is Finally" Effective "".The War Zone.Retrieved25 March2024.
  177. ^Keijsper 2007, p. 233.
  178. ^Donald, David (11 July 2012)."Terma Highlights F-35 Multi-Mission Pod".Aviation International News.Archivedfrom the original on 11 October 2023.
  179. ^Bolsøy, Bjørnar (17 September 2009)."F-35 Lightning II status and future prospects".F-16.net.Archivedfrom the original on 28 December 2023.Retrieved23 November2009.[unreliable source?]
  180. ^Everstine, Brian W. (17 June 2019)."Lockheed Looking at Extending the F-35's Range, Weapons Suite".Air & Space Forces Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on 28 May 2023.Retrieved31 January2020.
  181. ^abLake 2010, pp. 37–45.
  182. ^abTrimble, Stephen (17 September 2010)."MBDA reveals clipped-fin Meteor for F-35".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 21 September 2010.
  183. ^Drew, James (25 February 2015)."F-35B Internal Weapons Bay Can't Fit Required Load of Small Diameter Bomb IIs".Inside Defense.com.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2023.
  184. ^"Air Force President's Budget FY20".Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Financial Management and Comptroller.
  185. ^"Important cooperative agreement with Lockheed Martin".Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.9 June 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 14 April 2012.
  186. ^Fulghum, David A. (8 July 2002)."Lasers being developed for F-35 and AC-130".Aviation Week and Space Technology.Archived fromthe originalon 26 June 2004.
  187. ^Morris, Jefferson (26 September 2002)."Keeping cool a big challenge for JSF laser, Lockheed Martin says".Aerospace Daily.Archived fromthe originalon 4 June 2004.
  188. ^Fulghum, David A. (22 July 2002)."Lasers, HPM weapons near operational status".Aviation Week and Space Technology.Archived fromthe originalon 13 June 2004.
  189. ^Norris, Guy (20 May 2013)."High-Speed Strike Weapon To Build On X-51 Flight".Aviation Week.Archived fromthe originalon 20 May 2013.
  190. ^Drew, James (5 October 2015)."Lockheed considering laser weapon concepts for F-35".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 31 October 2020.
  191. ^Parsons, Dan (15 February 2015)."USAF chief keeps sights on close air support mission".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 20 February 2020.
  192. ^"Long Road Ahead For Possible A-10 Follow-On".Aviation Week.24 March 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2023.
  193. ^"Frequently Asked Questions about JSF".Joint Strike Fighter.Archived fromthe originalon 1 August 2010.Retrieved6 April2010.
  194. ^Warwick, Graham (17 March 2011)."Screech, the F135 and the JSF Engine War".Aviation Week.Archived fromthe originalon 21 March 2010.Retrieved20 December2017.
  195. ^Katz, Dan (7 July 2017)."The Physics And Techniques Of Infrared Stealth".Aviation Week.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2023.Retrieved12 April2019.
  196. ^Majumdar, Dave (1 October 2012)."US Navy works through F-35C air-ship integration issues".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 2 February 2020.Retrieved1 February2020.
  197. ^Chris Wiegand; Bruce A. Bullick; Jeffrey A. Catt; Jeffrey W. Hamstra; Greg P. Walker; Steve Wurth (13 August 2019)."F-35 Air Vehicle Technology Overview".American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics.257:121–160.doi:10.2514/5.9781624105678.0121.0160.ISBN978-1-62410-566-1.
  198. ^"Custom tool to save weeks in F-35B test and evaluation".U.S. Naval Air Systems Command.6 May 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2024.Retrieved1 March2021.
  199. ^Zolfagharifard, Ellie (28 March 2011)."Rolls-Royce's LiftSystem for the Joint Strike Fighter".The Engineer.Archived fromthe originalon 19 December 2013.Retrieved18 April2011.
  200. ^"LiftSystem".Rolls-Royce.Archivedfrom the original on 3 July 2023.Retrieved23 November2009.
  201. ^"Swivel nozzle VJ101D and VJ101E".Vertical Flight Society.20 June 2009.
  202. ^Hirschberg, Mike (1 November 2000)."V/STOL Fighter Programs in Germany: 1956–1975"(PDF).International Powered Lift Conference.p. 50.Archived(PDF)from the original on 27 October 2013.Retrieved3 October2012– via robertcmason.com.
  203. ^"How the Harrier hovers".Harrier.org.Archived fromthe originalon 7 July 2010.Retrieved16 November2010.
  204. ^abKjelgaard, Chris (21 December 2007)."From Supersonic to Hover: How the F-35 Flies".Space.com.Archivedfrom the original on 26 September 2023.
  205. ^Hutchinson, John."Going Vertical: Developing a STOVL system"(PDF).Ingenia.org.uk.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 20 July 2015.Retrieved23 November2009.
  206. ^"GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team completes study for Netherlands".Rolls-Royce plc.16 June 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2024.Retrieved23 November2009.
  207. ^Trimble, Stephen (11 June 2009)."Rolls-Royce: F136 survival is key for major F-35 engine upgrade".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 14 June 2009.
  208. ^Majumdar, Dave (2 December 2011)."GE, Rolls Royce Stop Funding F-35 Alt Engine".Defense News.Archived fromthe originalon 29 July 2012.
  209. ^"Pratt & Whitney Validates Growth Option for F135 Engine".Pratt & Whitney.31 May 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2024.Retrieved25 November2017.
  210. ^Kjelgaard, Chris (15 June 2017)."P&W Outlines Three-step F135 Development Pathway".Aviation International News.Archivedfrom the original on 20 January 2024.Retrieved11 January2020.
  211. ^Trimble, Steve (21 July 2020)."F-35 Propulsion Upgrade Moves Forward Despite Uncertainty".Aviation Week.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.Retrieved24 July2021.
  212. ^Tirpak, John A. (5 November 2021)."Next-Generation Power for Air Force Fighters".Air & Space Forces Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on 15 October 2023.
  213. ^Zazulia, Nick (11 October 2018)."Rejuvenating the Raptor: Roadmap for F-22 Modernization".Avionics Today.Archivedfrom the original on 16 February 2019.Retrieved15 February2019.
  214. ^Majumdar, Dave (6 November 2012)."US Air Force praises early performance of Lockheed Martin F-35".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 20 February 2020.
  215. ^Edwards, Jack E. (16 December 2010)."Defense Management: DOD Needs to Monitor and Assess Corrective Actions Resulting from Its Corrosion Study of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter"(PDF).Government Accountability Office.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 5 August 2020.Retrieved17 December2010.
  216. ^Trimble, Stephen (12 July 2010)."Farnborough: Lockheed encouraged by pace of F-35 testing".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 12 December 2019.
  217. ^"Li-Ion Battery in Production for F-35s".Avionics International.23 July 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 25 January 2020.Retrieved25 January2020.
  218. ^Hawkins, Dan (27 July 2012)."F-35 maintenance training spawns USMC's first air FTD".U.S. Air Force.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  219. ^"F-35, Maintenance and the Challenge of Service Standardization".Second Line of Defense.9 June 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 4 July 2011.
  220. ^Marrow, Michael (21 September 2023)."Only 55 percent of F-35s mission capable, putting depot work in spotlight: GAO".Breaking Defense.Archivedfrom the original on 17 December 2023.
  221. ^Majumdar, Dave (20 November 2012)."USMC finds workaround for cyber vulnerability on F-35 logistics system".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 12 December 2019.
  222. ^Tucker, Patrick (8 January 2015)."The F-35 Has To Phone Texas Before Taking Off".Defense One.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2023.
  223. ^Host, Pat (22 January 2020)."Pentagon announces replacement for F-35's ALIS".Jane's.Archived fromthe originalon 23 January 2020.
  224. ^abLand, Michael (29 July 2021)."F-35 testers recommend fielding logistics software update".DC Military.Archived fromthe originalon 10 October 2023.
  225. ^abClark, Colin (13 August 2021)."ALIS Is Dying; Long Live F-35's ODIN".Breaking Defense.Archivedfrom the original on 15 October 2023.
  226. ^"F-35 Joint Program Office begins deployment of new logistics hardware to F-35 squadrons".Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.9 August 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  227. ^"Mighty F-35 Lightning II Engine Roars to Life".Lockheed Martin.20 September 2006.
  228. ^Department of Defense Authorization for Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2011 (Report).
  229. ^Wolf, Jim (18 March 2010)."F-35 fighter makes first vertical landing".Reuters.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  230. ^Hudson, Mary L.; Glass, Michael L.; Tucker, Lt Col Tucker; Somers, C. Eric; Caldwell, Robert C. (24 June 2018)."F-35 System Development and Demonstration Flight Testing at Edwards Air Force Base and Naval Air Station Patuxent River".American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA):27.doi:10.2514/6.2018-3371.ISBN978-1-62410-556-2.S2CID116177609.
  231. ^Branch, Ricardo (8 March 2012)."Northern Edge fields new radar system".Northern Edge Joint Information Bureau.Archived fromthe originalon 27 October 2013.
  232. ^Saiki, Tracey (28 June 2011)."Continued testing of F-35 JSF sensors a success at Northern Edge 2011".U.S. Air Force.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2023.Retrieved18 April2012.
  233. ^Majumdar, Dave (17 January 2012)."F-35C Tailhook Design Blamed for Landing Issues".Defense News.Archived fromthe originalon 2 January 2013.
  234. ^abMajumdar, Dave (12 December 2013)."Lockheed: New Carrier Hook for F-35".U.S. Naval Institute.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2023.Retrieved12 December2013.
  235. ^Sweetman, Bill (June 2009)."Get out and fly".Defense Technology International.pp. 43–44. Archived fromthe originalon 18 August 2009.
  236. ^Trimble, Stephen (22 November 2010)."Fatigue cracks raise questions about key decision in F-35 redesign".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 3 February 2020.
  237. ^Insinna, Valerie & Larter, David (12 June 2019)."Supersonic speeds could cause big problems for the F-35's stealth coatings".Defense News.
  238. ^Larter, David B.; Insinna, Valerie & Mehta, Aaron (24 April 2020)."The Pentagon will have to live with limits on F-35's supersonic flights".Defense News.Retrieved25 April2020.
  239. ^ab"FY2019 DOT&E Report – F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft (F-35)"(PDF).dote.osd.mil.2020.Archived(PDF)from the original on 5 February 2020.
  240. ^Capaccio, Tony (21 February 2014)."Lockheed F-35 for Marines Delayed as Test Exposes Cracks".Bloomberg.Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2015.
  241. ^F-35A High Angle of Attack Operational Maneuvers.Lockheed Martin(Report). 14 January 2015.
  242. ^Clark, Colin (19 July 2017)."Pilots Say F-35 Superior Within Visual Range: Dogfight Criticisms Laid To Rest".Breaking Defense.Archivedfrom the original on 26 December 2022.
  243. ^"F-35B completes first sea trials on USS Wasp".Naval Air Systems Command.24 October 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 10 March 2021.Retrieved17 July2012.
  244. ^Shalal-Esa, Andrea (29 August 2013)."U.S. Marines see progress in F-35 testing despite challenges".Reuters.Archivedfrom the original on 15 October 2015.Retrieved1 July2017.
  245. ^"F-35B Pilots Conduct Night Shipboard Landing Without Night-Vision".Inside the Navy.Inside Washington Publishers. 9 February 2013.Retrieved19 September2013.[dead link]
  246. ^"F-35B Complete At-Sea Developmental Testing".Naval Aviation News.14 March 2017. Archived fromthe originalon 31 July 2020.Retrieved5 February2020.
  247. ^"Navy jets trial new 'rolling' landing".BBC News.15 October 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 7 April 2023.Retrieved12 August2019.
  248. ^"F-35C Completes First Night Flight Aboard Aircraft Carrier".U.S. Navy.13 November 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 10 July 2017.Retrieved29 November2014.
  249. ^Cavas, Christopher (17 August 2016)."F-35C Back at Sea for 3rd Round of Carrier Tests".Defense News.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2024.
  250. ^Grady, John (11 October 2018)."Preliminary F-35C Feedback is Positive, As Formal Operational Testing Begins This Fall".U.S. Naval Institute.Archivedfrom the original on 21 March 2023.
  251. ^Capaccio, Anthony (23 October 2017)."F-35s Hobbled by Parts Shortages, Slow Repairs, Audit Finds".Bloomberg.Archivedfrom the original on 23 October 2017.
  252. ^"The Hidden Troubles of the F-35".Defense News.
  253. ^Insinna, Valerie (24 April 2020)."The Pentagon has cut the number of serious F-35 technical flaws in half".Defense News.Archivedfrom the original on 27 April 2020.
  254. ^"F-35 Finally Can Use All Its Weapons In Combat".Aviation Week.5 March 2018.
  255. ^"Air Force issues flight release for Eglin AFB F-35A".U.S. Air Force.28 February 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 2 August 2013.
  256. ^Capaccio, Tony (28 September 2012)."Air Force Expands F-35 Trials Over Tester's Objections".Bloomberg BusinessWeek.Archived fromthe originalon 18 January 2013.
  257. ^Clark, Colin (28 August 2012)."Pentagon's Testing Czar Questions F-35 Program's OTE Plan".Breaking Defense.Archivedfrom the original on 31 August 2012.
  258. ^Shalal-Esa, Andrea (10 September 2012)."More problems raised at Pentagon F-35 fighter review".Reuters.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  259. ^Majumdar, Dave (16 November 2012)."USAF unit completes F-35 OUE activity".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 25 May 2014.
  260. ^Shalal-Esa, Andrea (27 February 2012)."USMC Near Start of F-35 Training Flights".Reuters.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  261. ^Majumdar, Dave (21 November 2012)."Simulation plays vital role in building F-35 tactics and aircraft development".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 15 September 2020.
  262. ^Everstine, Brian (17 December 2012)."F-35 pilot training starts next month at Eglin".Military Times.Archived fromthe originalon 10 March 2013.
  263. ^"65th Aggressor Squadron reactivates at Nellis with aggressor force of F-35s".U.S. Air Force.9 June 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  264. ^Burgess, Richard R. (28 May 2019)."Navy Deactivates First F-35C Replacement Squadron, Merges With Second".Sea Power Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  265. ^Hunter, Jamie (10 July 2020)."How The F-35 Triggered Topgun's Biggest Syllabus Revamp In Nearly Four Decades".The Drive.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  266. ^Reidinger, Staci (21 November 2012)."First Operational F-35 Squadron honored in historic ceremony".Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.Archivedfrom the original on 23 May 2023.Retrieved22 January2024.
  267. ^Davenport, Christian (15 September 2015)."Pentagon weapons tester calls F-35 evaluation into question".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on 30 September 2015.
  268. ^Bardo, J. T. (1 August 2016)."Exectuive Summary of VMFA-121 Support of Red Flag 16-3".DocumentCloud.United States Marine Corps.Archivedfrom the original on 26 March 2019.
  269. ^Ali, Idrees; Stone, Mike (27 September 2018)."F-35 jet used by U.S. in combat for first time".Reuters.Archivedfrom the original on 27 September 2018.Retrieved27 September2018.
  270. ^"Marines Propose Rapidly Mobile F-35 Operations".Aviation Week.16 December 2014.
  271. ^Eckstein, Megan (23 April 2019)."Marines Folding F-35B into New Pacific Island-Hopping Concept".U.S. Naval Institute.Archivedfrom the original on 26 December 2023.
  272. ^Jennings, Gareth (6 January 2022)."USMC deploys F-35C for first time".Janes.Archivedfrom the original on 18 January 2024.
  273. ^Lockie, Alex (8 February 2017)."The F-35 slaughtered the competition in its latest test".Business Insider.Archivedfrom the original on 26 July 2021.
  274. ^"U.S. Air Force's F-35A Lightning II arrives for first Middle East deployment".U.S. Air Forces Central.15 April 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 3 June 2023.
  275. ^"U.S. Air Force F-35As conduct first combat employment".U.S. Air Force.30 April 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2024.
  276. ^Hoyle, Craig (19 December 2021)."First European-based US Air Force F-35As arrive at Lakenheath home".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 19 December 2021.
  277. ^Cenciotti, David (9 January 2015)."RAF Lakenheath was selected as the first base to host USAFE F-35s".The Aviationist.Archivedfrom the original on 25 September 2023.Retrieved13 January2015.
  278. ^Cohen, Rachel S. (2 May 2019)."JPO Seeks to Slash F-35A Flight-Hour Costs".Air & Space Forces Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on 29 May 2023.
  279. ^Thompson, Mark (2 April 2013)."Costly Flight Hours".Time.ISSN0040-781X.Archivedfrom the original on 17 January 2024.Retrieved25 April2020.
  280. ^Reim, Garrett (30 January 2020)."Lockheed Martin sees F-35 production rising to 180 units per year, despite high flying costs".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 31 January 2020.
  281. ^"Thousands of sailors deploy with USS Carl Vinson strike group".FOX 5 San Diego.2 August 2021. Archived fromthe originalon 6 January 2024.
  282. ^"F-35B Lightning".Royal Air Force.Retrieved30 August2019.
  283. ^"Major Projects Report 2008".Ministry of Defence.Archived fromthe originalon 7 August 2012.Retrieved23 November2009.
  284. ^"US Marines eye UK JSF shipborne technique".FlightGlobal.15 June 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 30 July 2012.
  285. ^"Military Aircraft: Written question – 60456".UK Parliament.17 January 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2023.Retrieved4 July2017.
  286. ^"Royal Air Force's No. 617 Squadron to fly F-35B fighter".Airforce Technology.19 July 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 7 April 2023.
  287. ^"Dambusters to be first Lightning II squadron".Ministry of Defence.18 July 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 18 January 2024.
  288. ^"17 Squadron Standard Parade".Royal Air Force.12 April 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 28 August 2013.Retrieved25 January2020.
  289. ^"Third Joint Strike Fighter for the UK arrives".Royal Air Force.28 June 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 1 July 2013.
  290. ^"Navy's new F-35 jump jet flies from trademark ski ramp for first time".Royal Navy.25 June 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 7 July 2015.Retrieved6 July2015.
  291. ^"Identity of F-35 Lightning Training Squadron Announced".Royal Air Force.5 July 2017. Archived fromthe originalon 28 July 2017.
  292. ^"Second Lightning Fight Jet Squadron Arrives In UK".Royal Air Force.17 July 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 5 April 2023.Retrieved25 January2020.
  293. ^"RAF's legendary Dambusters squadron reforms to fly F-35 jets".Ministry of Defence.18 April 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 6 April 2023.
  294. ^"Britain's most advanced jets touch down on home soil".Ministry of Defence.6 June 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 13 July 2023.
  295. ^Nicholls, Dominic (10 January 2019)."New RAF jet 'combat ready' in face of resurgent Russia threat".The Daily Telegraph.London.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2022.
  296. ^"UK's most advanced jets deploy overseas for the first time".Ministry of Defence.8 April 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2024.
  297. ^"F-35 fighter jets join fight against IS".BBC News.25 June 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 5 April 2023.
  298. ^"First UK fighter jets land onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth".Ministry of Defence.13 October 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 18 January 2024.
  299. ^"F-35 Lightnings depart for Exercise RED FLAG in USA".Royal Air Force.22 January 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.Retrieved25 January2020.
  300. ^abAllison, George (21 November 2022)."Britain takes delivery of more F-35 jets".UK Defence Journal.Archivedfrom the original on 10 April 2023.
  301. ^"809 Squadron Stood Up".December 2023.
  302. ^"Immortal air squadron to fly Royal Navy's newest jets".Royal Navy.9 September 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 1 October 2020.Retrieved21 March2015– via National Archives.
  303. ^Hunter, Jamie (15 March 2021)."Top British F-35 Pilot On How His Fledgling Team Is Forging Its Own Path Forward".The Drive.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  304. ^ab"RAAF F-35s achieve 1,000 flying hour milestone".Australian Aviation.12 June 2020. Archived fromthe originalon 10 October 2023.Retrieved21 April2021.
  305. ^abWroe, David (3 March 2017)."Joint Strike Fighters: Australian military stealth unveiled at Avalon Airshow".The Sydney Morning Herald.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.Retrieved21 April2021.
  306. ^"PM's landing at Williamtown".Port Stephens Examiner.10 February 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.Retrieved21 April2021.
  307. ^"New F-35A fighters to arrive by year's end, says Lockheed Martin".Australian Aviation.Retrieved13 March2024.
  308. ^"Israel Declares F-35I Adir Combat Capable".F-35 Lightning II.Archived fromthe originalon 26 September 2020.Retrieved9 December2017.
  309. ^Novak, Jake (18 July 2019)."The F-35 has already freaked out Iran and changed everything in the Middle East".CNBC.Archivedfrom the original on 26 December 2022.
  310. ^Okbi, Yasser; Hashavua, Maariv (29 March 2018)."Report: Israeli stealth fighters fly over Iran".The Jerusalem Post.Archivedfrom the original on 29 March 2018.
  311. ^Williams, Dan (22 May 2018)."Israel says it is the first country to use U.S.-made F-35 in combat".Reuters.Archivedfrom the original on 6 November 2023.
  312. ^Kubovich, Yaniv (23 May 2018)."A Message of Superiority: This Is the Israeli Army's Photo of an F-35 Over Beirut".Haaretz.Archivedfrom the original on 7 December 2022.
  313. ^Bachner, Michael (30 July 2019)."Israel said to hit Iranian sites in Iraq, expanding strikes on missile shipments".The Times of Israel.Archivedfrom the original on 9 May 2023.
  314. ^Trevithick, Joseph (25 May 2017)."Israel Is Getting A Single F-35 Test Jet Unlike Any Other".The Drive.Archivedfrom the original on 6 November 2023.Retrieved7 January2021.
  315. ^Jennings, Gareth (12 November 2020)."Israel receives F-35I testbed to develop national capabilities".Jane's.Archivedfrom the original on 19 October 2023.Retrieved7 January2021.
  316. ^"מבצע" שומר החומות "– סיכום 11.05".idf.il(in Hebrew). 11 May 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 1 October 2021.Retrieved7 November2021.
  317. ^Zitun, Yoav (6 March 2022)."Israel shot down Iranian drones en route to Gaza, IDF says".Ynetnews.Archivedfrom the original on 7 November 2023.
  318. ^D'Urso, Stefano (12 October 2023)."Configuration And Payload Of The Aircraft Employed By Israel In The Fight Against Hamas".The Aviationist.Archivedfrom the original on 14 January 2024.
  319. ^Carlin, Maya (12 October 2023)."Meet the F-35I Adir: Israel Has a 'Stealth' Fighter Not Even America Has".19FortyFive.Archivedfrom the original on 18 November 2023.
  320. ^Osborn, Kris (18 October 2023)."Is Israel Using It's Special" Adir "F-35i Variant to Attack Hamas?".Warrior Maven: Center for Military Modernization.Archivedfrom the original on 20 November 2023.
  321. ^Frantzman, Seth J. (2 November 2023)."Israel uses F-35I to shoot down cruise missile, a first for Joint Strike Fighter".Breaking Defense.Archivedfrom the original on 17 December 2023.
  322. ^Kington, Tom (30 November 2018)."Italy F-35s reach initial operating capability".Defense News.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2024.Retrieved13 January2022.
  323. ^Yeo, Mike (1 April 2019)."Asia allies take major steps forward with F-35 rollout".Defense News.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2024.Retrieved7 August2022.
  324. ^Gady, Franz-Stefan (1 April 2019)."Japan Air Self Defense Force Stands Up First F-35A Lightning II Fighter Squadron".The Diplomat.Archivedfrom the original on 5 April 2023.
  325. ^Host, Pat (7 November 2019)."Norway declares F-35A initial operational capability".Jane's.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.Retrieved13 January2022.
  326. ^Sprenger, Sebastian (6 January 2022)."Norway swaps in its F-35s for NATO quick-reaction mission in the High North".Defense News.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2024.Retrieved13 January2022.
  327. ^Fouche, Gwladys (23 September 2023)."Lockheed Martin F-35A fighter jets land on motorway".Reuters.Archivedfrom the original on 24 October 2023.Retrieved24 September2023.
  328. ^abJennings, Gareth (29 December 2021)."Netherlands declares IOC for F-35".Jane's.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.Retrieved13 January2022.
  329. ^Defense White Paper 2022(PDF).Dutch Ministry of Defense. 19 July 2022. p. 28.
  330. ^Waldron, Greg (2 August 2012)."In Focus: Tokyo casts wary eye on Chinese airpower developments".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 20 February 2020.
  331. ^Ewing, Philip (19 June 2012)."Lockheed's comprehensive Q&A on the F-35".DoD Buzz.Archived fromthe originalon 18 August 2012.
  332. ^ab"F-35 Lightning Drag Chute".Code One Magazine.13 August 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 27 March 2023.Retrieved20 January2020.
  333. ^Hancock, Ben D. (1997)."The STOVL Joint Strike Fighter in Support of the 21st Century Marine Corps".Defense Technical Information Center.
  334. ^Bly, Peter (14 June 2011)."Constructability of a High Temperature Concrete Pad"(PDF).Geotechnical & Structures Laboratory, US Army Engineer Research & Development Center (ERDC).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 25 April 2012.Retrieved15 April2014.
  335. ^Norris, Guy (24 April 2014)."Pilot reaction to flying the F-35B".Aviation Week & Space Technology.Archived fromthe originalon 27 July 2014.Retrieved15 September2014.
  336. ^Dsouza, Larkins (16 March 2010)."F-35B STOVL-mode Flight".Defence Aviation.Archived fromthe originalon 15 August 2020.Retrieved25 November2010.
  337. ^ab"FY2019 President's Budget Selected Acquisition Report (SAR) – F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft (F-35)"(PDF).esd.whs.mil.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 10 March 2019.
  338. ^Kalman, Aaron (18 April 2013)."Jet's name is just plane 'Awesome'".The Times of Israel.Archivedfrom the original on 26 December 2022.
  339. ^"Israel's first F-35 Lightning II takes flight".Lockheed Martin.26 July 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 28 July 2017.Retrieved4 August2016.
  340. ^Ben-David, Alon (27 August 2010)."Israel To Buy F-35s With Cockpit Mods".Aviation Week.[dead link]
  341. ^Ben-David, Alon; Butler, Amy & Wall, Robert (7 July 2011)."Israel, U.S. Strike F-35 Technology Deal".Aviation Week.[dead link]
  342. ^David, Eshel; Fulghum, David (6 August 2012)."Israel, U.S. Agree To $450 Million In F-35 EW Work".Aviation Week.Archived fromthe originalon 10 May 2013.
  343. ^Trimble, Stephen (22 January 2010)."Israel sets sights on two-seater F-35".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 11 August 2020.
  344. ^Egozi, Arie (11 January 2008)."Israel to boost range of future F-35 fleet".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 9 April 2020.
  345. ^Frankel, Julia (2 July 2023)."Israel to buy more F-35 fighter jets from US. Deal expands fleet by 50% and deepens partnership".AP News.Archivedfrom the original on 19 December 2023.
  346. ^Bob, Yonah Jeremy (30 April 2023)."As F-35 deals move forward in US, where does Israel stand? - analysis".The Jerusalem Post.Archivedfrom the original on 21 January 2024.
  347. ^Daly, Brian (1 September 2010)."Harper, Ignatieff spar over fighter jets".Calgary Sun.Archived fromthe originalon 2 March 2014.Retrieved2 March2014.
  348. ^Berthiaume, Lee (20 December 2012)."Military will contract out air-to-air refuelling if Canada goes with F-35".Canada.com.Archived fromthe originalon 2 March 2014.Retrieved2 March2014.
  349. ^Yalkin, Tolga R.; Weltman, Peter (10 March 2011)."An Estimate of the Fiscal Impact of Canada's Proposed Acquisition of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter".Office of the Parliamentary Budget Office.Archived(PDF)from the original on 2 March 2014.
  350. ^"A New Plan For a Strong Middle Class"(PDF).Liberal Party of Canada.5 October 2015. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 14 October 2015.Retrieved5 October2015.
  351. ^Drew, James (21 October 2015)."Canadian F-35 exit could signal wider air force review".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 8 November 2020.Retrieved9 January2023.
  352. ^"Future Fighter Capability Project - Defence Capabilities Blueprint".Canadian Department of National Defence.30 May 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2024.
  353. ^Brewster, Murray (28 March 2022)."Liberals launch negotiations to buy F-35 fighter jets".CBC News.Archived fromthe originalon 18 November 2022.Retrieved9 January2023.
  354. ^"Future fighter capability project".National Defence (canada.ca).9 January 2023.Retrieved9 January2023.
  355. ^Dubois, Gastón (21 June 2022)."Nine fully operational Canadian F-35 stealth fighters by 2027?".Aviacionline.com.Archivedfrom the original on 5 January 2023.
  356. ^"Swedish jet maker complains Ottawa not following rules with F-35 negotiations".CTV News.30 September 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 8 March 2023.
  357. ^Anita Anand, Minister of Defence (9 January 2023)."Announcement regarding the F-35 acquisition".National Defence (canada.ca).Retrieved9 January2023.
  358. ^Berthiaume, Lee (9 January 2023)."Canada ends years-long search for new fighter jet with deal to buy F-35s".CTV News.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.Retrieved9 January2023.
  359. ^Parken, Oliver (9 January 2023)."Canada Closes Deal for 88 F35s to Finally Replace Its Aging CF18s".The Drive.Archivedfrom the original on 24 March 2023.Retrieved20 January2021.
  360. ^Jennings, Gareth (20 December 2021)."Lockheed Martin to design and develop F-35 variant 'tailored' for foreign customer".Janes.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  361. ^Pittaway, Nigel (26 October 2023)."RAAF Australia's F-35A fleet grows to 50nairframes with latest delivery".The Australian.Retrieved16 April2024.
  362. ^"Belgium receives first F-35".Janes.com.11 December 2023.Retrieved22 April2024.
  363. ^admin9693 (25 March 2024)."F-35 delivery delays: a problem for European air forces - War Wings Daily".Retrieved22 April2024.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  364. ^Emmott, Robin (25 October 2018)."Belgium picks Lockheed's F-35 over Eurofighter on price".Reuters.Brussels.Archivedfrom the original on 25 October 2018.
  365. ^"Luchtmachtbasissen moeten verbouwd worden voor F-35: 275 miljoen euro".Het Nieuwsblad(in Dutch). 8 July 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 8 July 2019.
  366. ^Defence, National (9 January 2023)."Announcement regarding the F-35 acquisition".www.canada.ca.Retrieved4 April2024.
  367. ^Berthiaume, Lee (20 December 2022)."Defence Department gets OK to spend $7 billion on 16 F-35 fighter jets: CP sources".CTV News.Archivedfrom the original on 21 December 2022.Retrieved21 December2022.
  368. ^Brewster, Murray (9 January 2023)."Federal government inks deal to buy fleet of F-35 fighter jets".CBC News.Archivedfrom the original on 9 January 2023.Retrieved9 January2023.
  369. ^"Danish F-35 aircraft achieve new milestone in the USA".Air Recognition.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2023.Retrieved17 November2021.
  370. ^"Agreement on Procurement for New Fighters"(PDF).Danish Ministry of Defence(in Danish). Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 6 October 2019.Retrieved9 June2016.
  371. ^"Det første F-35, der skal til Danmark, er nu leveret i USA"(in Danish). Forsvaret. 1 May 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 1 October 2023.Retrieved4 May2023.
  372. ^"Denmark's First F-35s Arrive at Skrydstrup Air Base".www.f35.com.14 September 2023.Retrieved15 September2023.
  373. ^"The Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II is Finland's next multi-role fighter".Ministry of Defence (Finland).10 December 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 3 January 2024.
  374. ^Ristamäki, Juha; Nurmi, Lauri (5 December 2021)."IL:n tiedot: Puolustusvoimat esittää yhdysvaltalaista F-35:ttä Suomen uudeksi hävittäjäksi"[Information from IL: The Defense Forces presents the US F-35 as Finland's new fighter].Iltalehti(in Finnish).Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  375. ^"Finland signs F-35 fighter jet deal".News.11 February 2022.
  376. ^Sabak, Juliusz (29 July 2022)."Niemcy: Wielki zakup F-35 z uzbrojeniem za 8,4 mld dolarów"[Germany: Major purchase of F-35 with weapons for $8.4 billion].defence24.pl(in Polish).Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  377. ^"Germany Becomes Latest Country to Join the F-35 Lightning II Global Team".Lockheed Martin.14 December 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.Retrieved15 December2022.
  378. ^"Germany Is in Talks to Buy 10 Additional F-35 Fighter Jets".Bloomberg, 7 June 2024.
  379. ^Lee, Matthew (27 January 2024)."US approves sale of F-16 jets to Turkey, F-35s to Greece".Defense News.Retrieved2 February2024.
  380. ^"Israel receives new F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin, bolstering arsenal".I24news.23 July 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 18 January 2024.
  381. ^Mathew, Arun."Unique F-35I Test Aircraft Arrives in Israel".DefPost.Archived fromthe originalon 13 January 2021.Retrieved7 January2021.
  382. ^Ahronheim, Anna (26 November 2018)."Air Force Bolsters Stealth Power as More F-35I Fighter Jets Land in Israel".The Jerusalem Post.Archivedfrom the original on 26 December 2022.
  383. ^Israel, David (2 July 2023)."Israel to Purchase 3rd F-35 Squadron, Will Up Number of Stealth Fighters to 75".Jewishpress.Archivedfrom the original on 2 July 2023.
  384. ^Kington, Tom (28 May 2020)."Italy defense minister commits to F-35 after calls to suspend program".Defense News.Archived fromthe originalon 22 January 2024.Retrieved13 January2021.
  385. ^abKington, Tom (21 October 2020)."Italy's Navy-Air Force tussle over the F-35 comes to a head".Defense News.Archivedfrom the original on 21 October 2020.Retrieved14 January2021.
  386. ^ab"F-35 Lightning II: Creating Jobs. Securing Italy's Future"(PDF).F35.com.Lockheed Martin. February 2017. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 7 July 2017.Retrieved14 January2021.Aeronautica Militare is programmed to receive 60 F-35A CTOLs and 15 F-35B STOVLs, while Marina Militare is programmed to acquire 15 F-35B STOVLs.
  387. ^abCenciotti, David (29 March 2023)."Future Base, Expected FOC And More About The Italian F-35 Fleet".The Aviationist.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.Retrieved7 April2023.
  388. ^Gady, Franz-Stefan (1 April 2019)."Japan Air Self Defense Force Stands Up First F-35A Lightning II Fighter Squadron".The Diplomat.
  389. ^Kelly, Tim; Kubo, Nobuhiro (21 February 2018)."Exclusive: Japan to buy at least 20 more F-35A stealth fighters".Reuters.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2024.Retrieved21 February2018.
  390. ^Harding, Robin (18 December 2018)."Japan to expand military with 100 more F-35 stealth fighters".Financial Times.Archived fromthe originalon 10 December 2022.Retrieved10 January2019.
  391. ^"Defence of Japan 2022 (Annual White Paper)"(PDF).Ministry of Defence (Japan)(in Japanese). p. 53. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 6 December 2022.
  392. ^"World Air Forces 2014"(PDF).Flight Global Insight.2014. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 1 February 2014.
  393. ^"Netherlands Orders Eight F-35s".Aviation Week.26 March 2015.Retrieved25 May2015.
  394. ^"Defence spending to be stepped up, more tanks and F-35 jets".DutchNews.nl.14 December 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2024.Retrieved15 December2018.
  395. ^"Norway receives another three F-35As".key.aero.13 August 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.Retrieved17 November2021.
  396. ^"Northrop Grumman completes center fuselage for first Norwegian F-35 aircraft".F-35 Lightning II.Archived fromthe originalon 24 June 2017.Retrieved31 March2015.
  397. ^Insinna, Valerie (11 October 2019)."Norway's F-35s have a problem with a unique piece of gear".Defense News.Archivedfrom the original on 13 October 2019.
  398. ^Adamowski, Jaroslaw (31 January 2020)."Poland inks $4.6 billion contract for F-35 fighter jets".Defense News.Archivedfrom the original on 31 January 2020.
  399. ^Kaleta, Włodzimierz (8 December 2023)."Amerykanie oblatują F-35 dla Polski"[Americans are test-flying the F-35 for Poland].wnp.pl(in Polish).Archivedfrom the original on 14 January 2024.Retrieved14 January2024.
  400. ^Graf, Jędrzej (27 July 2022)."Poland to Buy 1,000 MBTs. Minister Błaszczak Also Outlines a Plan To Procure Extra F-35s or F-15s".Defence24.Archivedfrom the original on 27 September 2023.Retrieved10 August2022.
  401. ^Sang-ho, Song (27 January 2022)."S. Korea's Air Force completes deployment of 40 F-35A fighters: sources".Yonhap News Agency.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.Retrieved4 February2022.
  402. ^Vavasseur, Xavier (4 September 2020)."South Korea to Double Down on F-35 and Procure STOVL Variant for LPX-II".Naval News.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.Retrieved9 April2021.
  403. ^Waldron, Greg (13 April 2020)."USA approves $675 million support package for Korean F-35s".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 13 August 2020.Retrieved13 January2021.
  404. ^Smith, Josh (20 December 2017)."South Korea plans to buy 20 additional F-35 aircraft: report".Reuters.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2023.
  405. ^Yeo, Mike (14 September 2023)."US State Department approves South Korea to buy 25 more F-35A jets".Defense News.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2024.Retrieved7 November2023.
  406. ^Farley, Robert (2 January 2018)."Who Wants to Operate Carrier-Based F-35Bs in Asia? Apparently, Japan and South Korea".The Diplomat.Archivedfrom the original on 3 October 2023.
  407. ^"S. Korea begins procedures to introduce F-35B fighters for light aircraft carrier".Yonhap News Agency.5 August 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 28 September 2023.
  408. ^"'경항모' 기사회생했지만 탑재 전투기는 F-35B 뿐… 가성비 논란 '여전'"[The 'light aircraft carrier' was revived, but the only aircraft on board was the F-35B... The cost-effectiveness controversy 'still persists'].한국일보(in Korean). 6 December 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2024.
  409. ^"Singapore to buy 8 F-35A fighter jets, adding to 12 F-35Bs it ordered earlier: Ng Eng Hen".Today Online yea= 2024.Retrieved28 February2024.
  410. ^Tham, Davina (24 February 2023)."Singapore to acquire 8 more F-35B fighter jets, growing fleet to 12".Channel News Asia.Archivedfrom the original on 4 January 2024.Retrieved25 February2023.
  411. ^"Air2030: Beschaffungsvertrag für die Kampfflugzeuge F-35A unterzeichnet"(in German). Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport. 19 September 2022. Archived fromthe originalon 27 February 2023.Retrieved19 September2022.
  412. ^"Schweiz unterzeichnet Kaufvertrag für F-35"(in German). Tagesanzeiger. 19 September 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 6 March 2023.Retrieved19 September2022.
  413. ^Allison, George (17 March 2024)."Britain takes delivery of more new F-35 stealth jets".UK Defence Journal.Retrieved18 June2024.
  414. ^"UK receives final TR-2 standard F-35s".Janes.26 March 2024.Retrieved18 June2024.
  415. ^Allison, George (23 May 2024)."Britain takes delivery of more new F-35 jets".UK Defence Journal.Retrieved18 June2024.
  416. ^"Probe after British F-35 fighter crashes in Mediterranean".BBC News.17 November 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 11 May 2022.
  417. ^Allison, George (4 November 2021)."More F-35 jets delivered to the UK".UK Defence Journal.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  418. ^"Further five F-35 fighter jets land at new RAF Marham home".ITV News.4 August 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 6 April 2023.
  419. ^"Lockheed Martin-Built F-35 Comes Home to RAF Marham".F35.com.Lockheed Martin. Archived fromthe originalon 14 September 2020.Retrieved19 June2018.
  420. ^"UK receives final F-35 test aircraft".Janes Defence Weekly.Vol. 53, no. 16. 20 April 2016.
  421. ^Urban, Mark (24 November 2015)."Defence Review: Fighting old battles?".BBC News.Archivedfrom the original on 20 January 2024.Retrieved24 November2015.
  422. ^Allison, George (23 March 2021)."UK looking at '60 and then maybe up to 80′ F-35B jets".UK Defence Journal.Archivedfrom the original on 26 March 2023.
  423. ^Glaze, Ben (8 September 2022)."UK will buy a maximum of 74 Lightning stealth warplanes - 64 fewer than planned".Daily Mirror.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2024.
  424. ^Allison, George (6 February 2024)."UK appears to recommit to full order of 138 F-35Bs".Retrieved6 February2024.
  425. ^https://www.saffm.hq.af.mil/Portals/84/documents/FY25/FY25%20Air%20Force%20Aircraft%20Procurement%20Vol%20I.pdf?ver=trnnCwkcSenGdKVniZvWHQ%3d%3d
  426. ^ab"2024 World Air Forces directory".Flightglobal Insight. 2024.Retrieved21 January2024.
  427. ^abReim, Garrett (18 April 2018)."DOD reveals F-35 multiyear procurement strategy to start in 2021".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 8 March 2021.
  428. ^US State Dept. clears $5.6 billion sale of F-35s for Czech Republic
  429. ^Ferran, Lee (29 January 2024)."Czech Republic joins F-35 ranks, inks 'most important' deal with US for 24 aircraft".Breaking Defense.Retrieved29 January2024.
  430. ^"Pas mare către F-35: România va achiziționa în total 48 de avioane F-35, dar în două faze. Vor fi 3 escadrile de generația a V-a".defenseromania.ro(in Romanian).Retrieved23 September2023.
  431. ^"Parlament: Iniţierea de către MApN a procedurilor de achiziţie a 32 de avioane F-35, aprobată de Birourile permanente".agerpres.ro(in Romanian).Retrieved24 October2023.[permanent dead link]
  432. ^"General Cartaxo Alves:" Tenho militares que chegam a pagar 150 mil euros para se desvincularem "".dn.pt(in Portuguese).Retrieved18 April2024.
  433. ^Carlin, Maya (28 October 2023)."Why Won't America Sell F-35 Stealth Fighters to Taiwan?".The National Interest.Retrieved15 June2024.
  434. ^"Taiwan plans to request F-35s from US".Taipei Times.20 September 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2023.Retrieved16 January2012.
  435. ^Shim, Elizabeth (28 April 2017)."Taiwan's plan to buy F-35 fighter jets riles China".United Press International.Archived fromthe originalon 17 October 2017.Retrieved17 October2017.
  436. ^Yeo, Mike (16 March 2018)."Taiwan renews interest in F-35 to counter Chinese first strike".Defense News.Melbourne.Archivedfrom the original on 18 March 2018.Retrieved18 March2018.
  437. ^Zhezheng, Hong (28 November 2018)."Phóng khí F-35 ngã nghĩ đối mỹ thải cấu 66 giá F-16V tân chiến cơ"(in Chinese).Archivedfrom the original on 29 November 2018.Retrieved29 November2018.
  438. ^Nanuam, Wassana (12 January 2022)."Air force eyes B13.8bn jets purchase".Bangkok Post.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2024.
  439. ^Nanuam, Wassana (31 December 2021)."Air force eyes F-35 stealth jets".Bangkok Post.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2024.
  440. ^"ผบ.ทอ. ประกาศซื้อ F-35 อีกครั้ง พร้อม MUM-T เผยเสนอในปีงบ 66 นี้เลย"[Air Force Commander announces purchase of F-35 again, with MUM-T revealed to be offered in fiscal year 2023.].thaiarmedforce(in Thai). 31 December 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  441. ^Nanuam, Wassana (22 May 2023)."US Pentagon set to rebuff Thailand's bid for F-35s".Bangkok Post.Archivedfrom the original on 22 May 2023.Retrieved23 May2023.
  442. ^Kelly, Fergus (21 June 2018)."Turkey receives F-35s from Lockheed, despite US Senate ban".The Defense Post.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  443. ^"Turkey to Order Four More F-35 Fighter Jets".F-35.com.Archived fromthe originalon 21 November 2019.Retrieved24 November2016.
  444. ^"Turkey Plans More F-35 Orders After Receiving First Batch in 2018".Haaretz.Reuters. 28 October 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 26 December 2022.
  445. ^Pawlyk, Oriana (16 June 2019)."Trump: Turkey Will Be Out of F-35 Fighter Jet Program After S-400 Buy".Military.com.Archivedfrom the original on 16 March 2023.
  446. ^abFinnerty, Ryan (23 January 2023)."US, Turkish defence officials meet for second round of F-35 discussions".FlightGlobal.Archived fromthe originalon 23 January 2023.
  447. ^abJennings, Gareth (24 January 2023)."US, Turkey continue talks to settle F-35 dispute".Janes.Archivedfrom the original on 3 August 2023.
  448. ^ab"US to buy eight F-35 jets originally built for Turkey".TRT World.Reuters. 21 July 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 9 December 2023.
  449. ^abInsinna, Valerie (21 July 2020)."It's official: US Air Force to buy Turkish F-35s".Defense News.Archivedfrom the original on 21 July 2020.
  450. ^"F-35'lerin ilk teslimat töreni ABD'de gerçekleşti"[The first delivery ceremony of F-35s took place in the USA].trthaber.com(in Turkish).TRT Haber.21 June 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  451. ^Stone, Mike; Ali, Idrees (4 April 2019)."Turkish F-35 delivered to training base in Arizona, official says".Reuters.Archivedfrom the original on 5 April 2023.Retrieved17 July2019.
  452. ^"Turkish F35 takes flight".YouTube.Kaparzo1453. 23 May 2018. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023.Retrieved7 March2023.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  453. ^"Turkish Air Force pilots training with Turkish F-35As at Luke Air Force Base".YouTube.Tonk298. 26 February 2019. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023.Retrieved7 March2023.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  454. ^Tirpak, John A. (20 July 2020)."USAF Nets Turkey's F-35s Under $861.7M Contract Mod".Air & Space Forces Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on 15 October 2023.
  455. ^"US ready to greenlight Turkey's F-35 fighter jet program if Ankara gives up Russian S-300s and S-400s".February 2024. Archived fromthe originalon 2 February 2024.Retrieved3 July2024.
  456. ^"https://www.mfa.gov.tr/press-release-on-the-s-300-missiles_br_february-10_-1999.en.mfa".Archived from the original on 27 December 2022.Retrieved3 July2024.{{cite web}}:External link in|title=(help)CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  457. ^"White House moves forward with sale of F-35s to UAE".Al Jazeera. 4 November 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  458. ^"Biden suspends F-35 sale to UAE".Daily Sabah.27 January 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  459. ^Axelrod, Tal (13 April 2021)."Biden to move ahead with $23 billion UAE weapons sale approved by Trump".The Hill.Archivedfrom the original on 14 April 2021.Retrieved14 April2021.
  460. ^Ghantous, Ghaida; Ponnezhath, Maria; Stone, Mike; Ali, Idrees (14 December 2021)."UAE told the U.S. it will suspend talks on F-35 jets -Emirati official".Reuters.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2024.
  461. ^Palowski, Jakub (15 December 2021)."Emiraty bez F-35? Porozumienie zerwane"[Emirates without F-35? Agreement broken].defence24.pl(in Polish).Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.
  462. ^Marrow, Michael (5 June 2024)."What a crashed jet means for an F-35 program already thin on test planes".Breaking Defense.Retrieved15 June2024.
  463. ^"An F-35 Went Down in New Mexico. It's Still One of the Safest Planes in the Skies".Popular Mechanics.4 June 2024.Retrieved15 June2024.
  464. ^Lockheed Martin."F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing Variant".Archived fromthe originalon 17 March 2011.Retrieved13 July2012.
  465. ^"F-35A Lightning II".af.mil.Retrieved25 November2017.
  466. ^"F-35B Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing Variant".Lockheed Martin.Archived fromthe originalon 17 March 2011.Retrieved13 July2012.
  467. ^"F-35C Carrier Variant".Lockheed Martin.Archived fromthe originalon 17 March 2011.Retrieved13 July2012.
  468. ^"F-35 Weaponry".F35.com.Lockheed Martin. Archived fromthe originalon 18 April 2019.Retrieved28 February2019.
  469. ^"FY2016 DOT&E Report – F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft (F-35)"(PDF).dote.osd.mil.2017. p. 15. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 13 July 2017.
  470. ^"F-35A Lightning II".Royal Australian Air Force.Retrieved14 November2022.
  471. ^North, Gary (April 2016)."Long Combat Radius"(PDF).F-35: The Future is Now.Fisher.org.il. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 9 June 2016.Retrieved9 June2016.
  472. ^"Air Force Developing AMRAAM Replacement to Counter China".20 June 2019.
  473. ^Allison, George (21 February 2022)."Integration of Meteor missile on F-35B slips to 2027".
  474. ^abHoyle2021-09-17T10:33:00+01:00, Craig."Italy, UK to complete Meteor, Spear missile integration on F-35 fleets".FlightGlobal.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  475. ^Michael Marrow(25 Sep 2023) Northrop nabs $705M Air Force award for new F-35 air-to-ground missileIOC 2026
  476. ^Ewing, Philip (3 July 2012)."The Navy's advanced weapons shopping list".DoD buzz.com.Archived fromthe originalon 6 September 2012.Retrieved2 February2021.
  477. ^"Update: JSM successfully released from F-35A".Janes.com.12 April 2021.
  478. ^"Nuclear Posture Review Report"(PDF).U.S. Department of Defense.Washington, D.C. April 2010. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 7 December 2014.
  479. ^"AN/APG-81 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Fire Control Radar".Northrop Grumman.
  480. ^"Northrop Grumman Developing the Next Generation Radar for the F-35 Lightning II".Retrieved4 February2023.
  481. ^"F-35 Electro Optical Targeting System (EOTS)".Lockheed Martin.
  482. ^"Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System | Raytheon Intelligence & Space".Archived fromthe originalon 24 March 2023.
  483. ^BAE Systems(November 2018)."AN/ASQ-239 Electronic warfare/countermeasure system"(PDF).www.baesystems.com.Archived(PDF)from the original on 14 May 2023.Retrieved16 May2023.

Bibliography[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • Borgu, Aldo (2004).A Big Deal: Australia's Future Air Combat Capability.Canberra: Australian Strategic Policy Institute.ISBN1-920722-25-4.
  • Spick, Mike (2002).The Illustrated Directory of Fighters.London: Salamander.ISBN1-84065-384-1.
  • Winchester, Jim (2005).Concept Aircraft: Prototypes, X-Planes, and Experimental Aircraft.San Diego, CA: Thunder Bay Press.ISBN978-1-59223-480-6.OCLC636459025.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commonshas media related to:
F-35 Lightning II(category)
Wikiquote has quotations related toLockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lockheed_Martin_F-35_Lightning_II&oldid=1232637362"