What is the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program?
What is the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program?
The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program is a design and development initiative of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to create a fifth-generation fighter jet that combines air-to-air, strike, and ground attack capabilities into one aircraft, for use by multiple branches of the U.S. military and its NATO and …
Who builds the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter?
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin serves as the prime contractor with a global supply chain of more than 1,900 companies based in the United States and in every nation acquiring the F-35.
Who won the Joint Strike Fighter contract?
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Monday awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth up to $6.6 billion to sustain the F-35 joint strike fighter from fiscal 2021 to 2023, a deal that will reduce the cost of flying the aircraft by about 8 percent.
How much does the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter cost?
The Marine Corp’s F-35B jump jets cost $9.1 million per year, $2.3 million over budget. And the U.S. Navy’s F-35C jets cost $9.9 million annually—$2.4 million over budget.
Is the F-35 any good?
The F-35 is already a success, demonstrating combat flexibility and delivering a decisive advantage in Red Flag exercises. Pilots have raved about the jet’s performance. There are at least three arguments for the F-35 as the most cost-effective fighter the Air Force can buy: Stealth.
Does the F-35 have a gun?
The Air Force F-35As have an internal gun. All three F-35 variants are equipped, in one configuration or another, with a 25 mm GAU-22/A four-barrel Gatling gun, which is capable of firing over 3,000 rounds a minute. With just 220 rounds, an F-35B pilot can empty the magazine in about 4 seconds.
How much did the JSF cost?
The projected average annual cost of this program is $12.5 billion with an estimated program life-cycle cost of $1.1 trillion….Joint Strike Fighter program.
| Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) | |
|---|---|
| Boeing and Lockheed Martin JSF demonstrators. | |
| Project for | Strike Fighter |
| Issued by | Multiple services |
What is the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter?
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), also called the Lightning II, is a strike fighter airplane being procured in different versions for the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy. The F-35 program is DOD’s largest weapon procurement program in terms of total estimated acquisition cost.
What is the F-35 Lightning II?
Congressional Research Service Summary The largest procurement program in the Department of Defense (DOD), the F-35 Lightning II is a strike fighter aircraft being procured in different versions for the United States Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy. Current DOD plans call for acquiring a total of 2,456 F-35s.
Could the F-35 replace the F15E Strike Eagle?
Lockheed Martin has suggested that the F-35 could replace the USAF’s F-15C/D fighters in the air-superiority role and the F-15E Strike Eagle in the ground-attack role.
What are the different variants of the F-35?
The aircraft has three main variants: the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35A, the short take-off and vertical-landing (STOVL) F-35B, and the carrier-based (CV/ CATOBAR) F-35C. The aircraft descends from the Lockheed Martin X-35, which in 2001 beat the Boeing X-32 to win the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program.
