Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning 2
The F-35 Lightning II is a stealth multirole fighter developed jointly by the United States and several partner nations, designed to be difficult to detect on radar. It shares a common basic design across three versions: a conventional runway variant, a short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing variant for smaller ships and austere bases, and a carrier variant with reinforced landing gear and a tailhook. Rather than relying only on its own sensors, it's built to share data in real time with other aircraft and ground forces, acting as a networked information hub. It has become one of the most expensive military aircraft programs in history, with well over a thousand delivered to air forces worldwide.
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Did you know?
The F-35 shares one basic design across three versions — conventional, short-takeoff, and carrier — built around stealth and shared sensor data.
Specifications
| Length | 15.7 m (51 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 10.7 m (35 ft) |
| Height | 4.6 m (15 ft) |
| Persons on board | 1 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 29.7 t |
| Range | 1,200 NM (2,222 km) |
| Maximum speed | 1,036 kt (1,919 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 50,000 ft (15,240 m) |
| Rate of climb | 40,000 ft/min (203.2 m/s) |
| Engines | Pratt & Whitney F135 |
| Units built | 965 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
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