The F-35A Lightning II represents the pinnacle of modern military aviation-the pinnacle of fifth-generation fighter technology. This aircraft combines state-of-the-art aerodynamics, survivability in highly threatened environments, and superior situational awareness to afford pilots and other allied forces capabilities never before achieved in most operational domains.
The F-35 sprouted from the Joint Strike Fighter program aimed at developing a single-engine, stealthy, multirole fighter replacing the fleet of mission-dedicated airframes-the F-16 Fighting Falcon, A-10 Thunderbolt II for the Air Force, and F/A-18 Hornet, AV-8B Harrier II for the Navy and Marine Corps.
Distinct airframe variants were designed for particular military branch needs. At the very core of all the F-35 variants, though, is one overÂarching design philosophy: to ingress contested airspace, deliver precision-guided and conventional munitions with unprecedented accuracy, while conducting real-time reconnaissance, while remaining a stealthy, fifth-generation air-to-air combatant at velocities greater than Mach 1+.
Contracts of $750 million each were awarded to Lockheed Martin and Boeing for the construction of prototypes for the JSF program in 1997. Each had its head-to-head competitors, with Lockheed Martin being awarded the contract because of the high performance that was observed in its variant, the X-35B, with a separate vertical-lift fan located behind the cockpit.
The first test aircraft F-35A for the Air Force came off the production line in 2006, and in 2011 the Air Force began training pilots and maintainers at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. In 2014, the 58th Fighter Squadron became the first complete F-35A squadron. In August 2016, the F-35A was declared “combat ready” by Gen. Hawk Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command.
Today, numerous Air Force units fly the F-35A, including the 461st Flight Test Squadron and the 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron at Edwards AFB, California, and the 388th Fighter Wing and the 419th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB, Utah. This fifth-generation fighter is a force multiplier, with advanced sensors and datalinks that share information and situational awareness between US and allied aircraft as well as coalition land, sea, and space assets.
During the Red Flag 17-1 combat training exercise at Nellis AFB in 2017, F-35As destroyed multiple ground targets undetected and then established a 20:1 kill ratio in air-to-air combat scenarios. But for all its impressive individual performance, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein cautioned that the F-35 should be considered an essential part of the Air Force’s overall warfighting capability. He said the next-generation battle would comprise a network of systems such as F-35s, F-22s, F-18s, satellites, and cyber systems plus ISR that would pose numerous dilemmas for the enemy.
International Collaboration
The F-35 program represents a milestone in military and budgetary benefits created by international cooperation. The program’s partner nations-the U.S., United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands, Italy, Turkey, Denmark, Norway, and Australia-are intimate participants in the aircraft’s continuing development. International customers that have purchased the F-35 so far include Israel, Japan, and South Korea. This common weapons system among allies will breed further operational familiarity during coalition partner training and combat, with reduced costs and integration challenges.
The historic military aviation competition was between Boeing’s X-32 and Lockheed Martin’s X-35. The Boeing X-32 featured a novel airframe shape and a direct-lift STOVL configuration while the other one by Lockheed Martin had with separate lift fan influenced by the Russian Yak-141. Finally, the design of the X-35 turned out to be superior, and on October 26, 2001, it was announced as the winner of the JSF competition.
Compared to the prototype, the production aircraft, called F-35 Lightning II, has a series of changes, such as a longer forward fuselage and shifting the horizontal stabilizers. International participation today includes eight international partners and six Foreign Military Sales customers in the F-35 program. Switzerland recently announced the procurement of the F-35A.
The F-35A Lightning II truly is a quantum leap in military aviation capabilities, second to none, while nurturing international cooperation in the process. As he spoke, Gen. Goldfein said, the future of warfare will be different. It’s a system of systems, and it’s this multi-domain, multi-component way of executing that’s going to be the difference maker, with the F-35 at the center of that.