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[[Image:F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.JPG‎|thumb|240px]]

[[Image:F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.JPG‎|thumb|240px]]

The Lockheed Martin '''F-35 Lightning II''' (so named in honor of the [[WWII]] era Lockheed [[P-38 Lightning]]) is a single seat next-generation multi-role strike aircraft with stealth capabilities.  It is powered by a single [[Pratt & Whitney]] F135 turbofan engine capable of producing in excess of 40,000 pounds of thrust.   

The [[Lockheed Martin]] '''F-35 Lightning II''' (so named in honor of the [[WWII]] era Lockheed [[P-38 Lightning]]) is a single seat next-generation multi-role strike aircraft with stealth capabilities.  It is powered by a single [[Pratt & Whitney]] F135 turbofan engine capable of producing in excess of 40,000 pounds of thrust.   

The Lightning II evolved from the X-35, the winning design in the [[United States Air Force|USAF]] Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) design competition.  The [[Lockheed Martin]] design defeated the [[Boeing]] designed X-32.

The Lightning II evolved from the X-35, the winning design in the [[United States Air Force|USAF]] Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) design competition.  The Lockheed Martin design defeated the [[Boeing]] designed X-32.

The JSF concept involves a single common airframe with multiple variants to fulfill multiple roles. As such, the F-35 has three distinct variants, each engineered for their respective contractors.  The F-35A is the conventional take off/landing (CTOL) version primarily intended for the USAF as a replacement for the aging [[F-16]] Falcon. The F-35B is a short take off/vertical landing (STOVL) version intended primarily for the USMC as a replacement for the AV-8B Harrier.  The F-35C is a carrier based variant intended primarily for the USN as a replacement for older model [[F/A-18 Hornet]]s (A/B/C variants) which in turn replaced the venerable Vought [[A-7 Corsair II]] and Grumman [[A-6 Intruder]].

The JSF concept involved a single common airframe with multiple variants to fulfill multiple roles and to serve the US Air Force (USAF), the US Navy (USN) and the US Marine Corps (USMC), which has been challenging in the past due to each force's unique requirements (and their preferences over contractors; USAF has preferred Lockheed Martin while USN/USMC has preferred Boeing). As such, the F-35 has three distinct variants, each engineered for their respective roles and customers:

*The F-35A is the conventional take off/landing (CTOL) version primarily intended for the USAF as a replacement for the aging [[F-16]] Falcon and, to a lesser extent, the [[F-22]] Raptor (USAF's original stealth fighter).

*The F-35B is a short take off/vertical landing (STOVL) version intended primarily for the USMC as a replacement for the AV-8B Harrier.  It is this variant which has had the most difficulties in testing and later in production, due to the technical requirements.

*The F-35C is a carrier-based variant intended primarily for the USN as a replacement for older model [[F/A-18 Hornet]]s (A/B/C variants) which in turn replaced the venerable Vought [[A-7 Corsair II]] and Grumman [[A-6 Intruder]].

[[Category:Military Aircraft]]

[[Category:Military Aircraft]]