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What is the F-35 Stealth Fighter?

By Ramiro Perera Logozzo 

Stealth is known as a concept of invisibility from sight. This concept was changed by Lockheed Martin, a military US defense contractor in the 1960s in which Lockheed Martin changed the idea of “stealth” into “radar invisibility”. As this technology of radar invisibility developed, it became part of military aircraft. One example of this kind of aircraft can be the F-35 stealth fighter or JSF (Joint Strike Fighter), nicknamed Lightning II made by Lockheed Martin. 

The F-35 stealth fighter is a long-range supersonic fighter and it’s made for different types of combat which are: air, sea, and ground; as well as for operations of surveillance, reconnaissance, and intelligence. Because it is considered to fight off any type of enemy, there are three different variants of the F-35 Stealth Fighter that have joined the USAF (United States Air Force), USMC (United States Marine Corps), the USN (United States Navy), and other military forces.  

Variants

The three different variants of the F-35 Stealth Fighter are the following: 

  1. F-35A 

The F-35A is made for the air force to work on runways and it’s the most common in military forces around the world. For example, USAF. 

It has: 

  • An internal 25mm 4-barrel 

gatling gun 

  • And a refueling door for air refueling. 
  • It uses as an engine a 1x Pratt & Whitney F-135-PW-100 engine that gives a 43,000 lb of maximum thrust

F-35A specifications:

  • Crew: 1
  • Height: 4.4m
  • Length: 15.7m
  • Wingspan: 10.7m
  • Wing area: 42.7m2    
  • Weight:  Empty: 13,290kg 

   Max: 29,900kg

  • Range: 2,200 km
  • Combat radius with internal fuel: 1,093 km
  • Internal fuel capacity: 8,278 kg
  • Ceiling: 50,000ft
  • G-rating: 9.0

Weapons:

  • AIM-120 AMRAAM
  • AIM-9X “Sidewinder” Short Range Air-to-Air Missile
  • GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) Guided Bombs
  • Laser-Guided bombs. 
  • Maximum weapon carriage: 18,000lb (8,160kg)
  1. F-35B 

 The F-35B can perform take-offs on airbases or small aircraft carriers with short distanced runways and can land and take off vertically like a helicopter or in other words STOVL (sort takeoff or vertical landing) capability. It’s used by the US Marine Corps, the UK, and the Italian Air Force.

It has: 

  • A lift fan
  • A refueling probe or basket for air refueling
  • Roll posts
  • A 3-Bearing Swivel nozzle
  • And a 25mm gun centrile pod
  • The F-35B uses 1x Pratt & Whitney F-135-PW-600 that gives 
  • a maximum thrust of 41,000lb
  • 40,740lb of thrust in short takeoffs 
  • And 40,650lb of thrust in hovering

F-35B specifications: 

  • Crew: 1
  • Height: 14ft 3.5in (4.36m)
  • Length: 51ft 2¼ in (15.6m)
  • Wingspan: 35ft (10.7m)
  • Wing area: 460 ft2 (42.7m2)
  • Ceiling: 50,000ft
  • Maximum take off weight: 60,000~lb (27,216kg)
  • Combat radius: 450nm+ (833km+) with internal fuel

Weapons:

  • 2 air-to-air missiles and 2 bombs internally carried
  • Underwing pylons for 15,000lb (6,800kg) of weapon carriage.  
  1. F-35C

 Meanwhile, the F-35C is a US Navy variant that works on aircraft carriers and is the last variant of the F-35 Stealth Fighter.

It has:  

  • A refueling probe or basket as the B variant
  • Wingfold and aleroins
  • A reinforced landing gear
  • A bigger wing and horizontal tail area
  • And a 25mm gun centrile pod
  • It uses the same engine as the F-35A, the Pratt & Whitney F-135-PW-100 engine.

F-35C specifications: 

  • Crew: 1
  • Height: 4.4m
  • Length: 51.5ft (15.7m)
  • Wingspan: 43ft (13.1m)
  • Wing area: 668ft2 (62.1m2)
  • Combat radius with internal fuel: >600 n mi. (1,100km)
  • Range with internal fuel: >1,200 n mi. (2,200km)
  • Internal fuel capacity: 19,200lb (8,708kg)
  • G-rating: 7.5

Weapons:

  • AIM-120 AMRAAM
  • AIM-9X “Sidewinder” Short Range Air-to-Air Missile
  • GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) Guided Bombs
  • Laser-Guided bombs. 
  • Maximum weapon carriage: 18,000lb (8,160kg)

Thanks to the Pratt & Whitney engines, the F-35s are capable of flying at Mach (passing the speed of sound) at 1.6 (1 and half times faster) (1,960KM/H), that’s almost 2,000KM/H! And all variants fly with extra fuel. 

Stealth characteristics

As you can see, F-35 stealth fighter aircraft are complex structures. They have specific engines, weapons, weight limits, etc. But apart from having Very Low Observable (VLO) stealth airframes, sensors, and internal weapon bays, aligned edges, reduced engine signature, and the usage of radar-absorbing materials, what else do these aircraft have?

The F-35’s design is a factor for stealth since it’s shaped to move radar energy away from the aircraft. Nevertheless, parts of the F-35 that can’t be shaped as the engine compressor face are placed to be unseen by the threat radar. All these characteristics mentioned help the F-35 be stealthy and harder to be found and even seen. According to Lockheed Martin, the F-35 can have its own Harry Potter cloak that is made by an electromagnetic wave that eventually covers the aircraft enabling it to camouflage from any kind of terrain. Something that makes it easier for the F-35 to attack, and it was even mentioned by former United States President Donald Trump. 

Another characteristic of the F-35 Stealth Fighter is its supersonic boom noise. 

When an aircraft flies, it makes pressure waves. When flying faster than the speed of sound these waves join and make a shockwave or as we call it a sonic boom, due to the noise it makes. According to Paul Poitras, director in Skunk Works in the area of survivability, the supersonic boom is useless when looking for F-35 jets.

References

Cohen, Z. (2015, July 16) The F-35: Is the world’s most expensive weapons program worth it?. CNN de:

https://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/16/politics/f-35-jsf-operational-costs/index.html

Browne, R. & Starr B. (2018, September 28) US F-35 fighter jet conducts first-ever strike. CNN de: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/27/politics/airstrike-afghanistan-first-f-35b/index.html

The Washington Post BrandStudio. (2015, October 29). The F-35: How it works. Washington Post. Retrieved January 2, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/brand-connect/the-f-35-how-it-works/

Lockheed Martin. (2020, May 7). F-35 Capabilities. Retrieved January 2, 2022, from https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/f-35/f-35-capabilities.html

Lockheed Martin. (2020a, January 15). How the Fantasy of Invisibility Becomes Reality in the Sky. Retrieved January 2, 2022, from

https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/news/features/2015/WashPostF352.html

Lockheed Martin. (2020c, September 2). F-35 Global Partnership. Retrieved January 2, 2022, from 

https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/f-35/f-35-global-partnership.html

Martin, L. (n.d.). 5th Gen Capabilities. Lockheed Martin. Retrieved January 2, 2022, from https://www.f35.com/f35/about/5th-gen-capabilities.html

Lockheed Martin. (2020, May 7). About F-35. Retrieved January 8, 2022, from https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/f-35/f-35-about.html

Royal Australian Air Force. (n.d.). F-35A specifications | Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved January 2, 2022, from https://www.airforce.gov.au/technology/f-35a-specifications

Nothrop Grumman. (2021, December 16). AN/APG-81 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Fire Control Radar. Retrieved January 2, 2022, from https://www.northropgrumman.com/what-we-do/an-apg-81-active-electronically-scanned-array-aesa-fire-control-radar/

Lockheed Martin. (2020, August 11). Electronic Warfare. Retrieved January 2, 2022, from https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/capabilities/electronic-warfare.html

Royal Air Force. (n.d.). F35B Lightning. Retrieved January 2, 2022, from https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircraft/lightning-f35b/

Lockheed Martin. (2021, December 22). JASSM. Retrieved January 2, 2022, from https://www.lockheedmartin.com/jassm

Lockheed Martin. (2021, December 22). Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). Retrieved January 2, 2022, from https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/long-range-anti-ship-missile.html

F-35s can also carry the JASSM missile, a long-range air-to ground precise standoff missile and the LRASM missile, a long-range anti-ship missile. 

https://prattwhitney.com/products-and-services/products/military-engines/F135

https://prattwhitney.com/-/media/project/pw/pw-internet/pwu/pwu/products/f35/f135-stovl-product-card_2021.pdf?rev=63a6fb08ee17403f910140a6e2db9ef5

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https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/supersonic-student.pdf

https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/news/features/history/f-117.html

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