Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II development

F-35 Lightning II
F-35A Lightning II
General information
Type	Stealth multirole fighter
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
Status	In service
History
Introduction date	F-35B: 31 July 2015 (USMC) F-35A: 2 August 2016 (USAF) F-35C: 28 February 2019 (USN)
First flight	15 December 2006 (F-35A)
Developed from	Lockheed Martin X-35

The development of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II ran from 1995 with the origins of the Joint Strike Fighter program to the completion of operational testing and start of full-rate production in 2021. The X-35 first flew on 24 October 2000 and the F-35A on 15 December 2006.

Intended to replace most US fighter jets, the F-35 was designed with three variants: F-35A (conventional take off and landing, CTOL), F-35B (short-take off and vertical-landing, STOVL), and F-35C (carrier-based catapult assisted take-off (CATOBAR), CV). The variants were intended to share most of their parts and thereby reduce costs and improve maintenance logistics, but by 2017 shared just 20% of their parts.

It was developed with and for foreign partners, unlike the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.

The program received considerable criticism for cost overruns during development and for the total projected cost of the program over the lifetime of the jets. By 2017, the program was expected over its lifetime (until 2070) to cost $406.5 billion for acquisition of the jets and $1.1 trillion for operations and maintenance. A number of design deficiencies were alleged, such as carrying a small internal payload; inferior performance to the aircraft being replaced, particularly the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon; and the lack of safety in relying on a single engine. Laws included vulnerability of the fuel tank to fire and the propensity for transonic roll-off (TRO or "wing drop"). The possible obsolescence of stealth technology was also criticized.