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F-35

The F-35 is the descendant of the Joint Strike Fighter program. It is a multi-role aircraft capable of close air support, air combat, and tactical bombing. Development is led by Lockheed Martin, along with other partner companies, and is funded by the United States, United Kingdom, and several other nations. The JSF program was started
in order to create a versatile fighter with variants that can replace aircraft in multiple military branches. For example, The F-35A is a conventional take-off and landing aircraft, expected to replace USAF F-16, starting in 2011. The F-35B is an STOVL (short take-off,
vertical landing) aircraft designed to replace the AV-8 Harrier IIs and F/A-18 Hornet used by the United States Marine Corps. The F-35C is a carrier-based variant designed to replace the US Navy's F/A-18s beginning in 2012. The F-35 incorporates stealth technology, although it is much easier to spot it from the rear (is it flies away from
a radar station.) Like the F-22 Raptor, the F-35 can carry some of it's weapons in an internal bay, with the option of loading weapons under the wings and on wingtips, sacrificing stealth.

General characteristics

* Crew: 1
* Length: 50 ft 6 in (15.37 m)
* Wingspan: 35 ft 0 in (10.65 m)
* Height: 17 ft 4 in (5.28 m)
* Wing area: 459.6 ft² (42.7 m²)
* Empty weight: 26,000 lb (12,000 kg)
* Loaded weight: 44,400 lb (20,100 kg)
* Max takeoff weight: 60,000 lb (27,200 kg)
* Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney F135 afterburning turbofan
o Dry thrust: 28,000 lbf (128 kN)[31])
o Thrust with afterburner: 43,000 lbf (191 kN w/AB)
* Secondary (High Performance), in development: 1× General
Electric/Rolls-Royce F136 afterburning turbofan, >178 kN
(40,000 lbf)
* Lift fan (STOVL): 1× Rolls-Royce Lift System in conjunction
with either F135 or F136 power plant, 18,000 lbf (80 kN)

Performance

* Maximum speed: >Mach 1.6 (1,200 mph, 1,930 km/h)
* Range: ˜1,200 nm (1,400 mi, 2,200 km) on internal fuel
* Rate of climb: classified (not publicly available)
* Wing loading: 91.4 lb/ft² (446 kg/m²)
* Thrust/weight:
o With full fuel: 0.968
o With 50% fuel: 1.22[31]

Armament

* 1 × GAU-12/U 25 mm cannon — slated to be mounted
internally with 180 rounds in the F-35A and fitted as an
external pod with 220 rounds in the F-35B and F-35C.
* Internally (current planned weapons for integration) —
up to four AIM-120 AMRAAM, AIM-9X Sidewinder or AIM-132
ASRAAM internally or two air-to-air and two air-to-ground
weapons (up to two 2,000 lb weapons in A and C models;
two 1000 lb weapons in the B model) in the bomb bays.
These could be AMRAAM, the Joint Direct Attack Munition
(JDAM) — up to 2,000 lb (910 kg), the Joint Standoff
Weapon (JSOW), Small Diameter Bombs (SDB) — a maximum
of 4 in each bay, the Brimstone anti-armor missiles,
Cluster Munitions (WCMD) and High Speed Anti-Radiation
Missiles (HARM). The MBDA Meteor air-to-air missile is
currently being adapted to fit internally in the missile spots
and may be integrated into the F-35.
* At the expense of being more detectable by radar, many
more missiles, bombs and fuel tanks can be attached on
four wing pylons and two wingtip positions. The two
wingtip pylons can only carry short-range air-to-air
missiles (AIM-9's), while the Storm Shadow and Joint Air
to Surface Stand-off Missile (JASSM) cruise missiles can be
carried in addition to the stores already integrated. An
air-to-air load of 12 AIM-120s and 2 AIM-9s is conceivable
using internal and external weapons stations (as well as a
configuration of six two thousand pound bombs, 2 AIM-120s,
and 2 AIMs), but highly unlikely in any operational scenario.