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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.  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 (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-18 Hornets (A/B/C variants) which in turn replaced the venerable Vought [[A-7 Corsair II]] and Grumman [[A-6 Intruder]].

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-18 Hornets (A/B/C variants) which in turn replaced the venerable Vought [[A-7 Corsair II]] and Grumman [[A-6 Intruder]].

[[Category:aircraft]]

[[Category:aircraft]]