How old is the F-35?

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II development started in 1995 with the origins of the Joint Strike Fighter program and culminated in the completion of operational testing and start of full-rate production in 2021.

What is the F-35 replacing?

The F-35 is designed to replace aging fighter inventories including U.S. Air Force F-16s and A-10s, U.S. Navy F/A-18s, U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers and F/A-18s, and U.K. Harrier GR. 7s and Sea Harriers.

Is the F-22 better than the F-35?

The F-22 Raptor is the most powerful air superiority fighter in the world, while the F-35 is probably the most advanced multi-role fighter right now. That means that the Raptor is more effective in air-to-air combats (faster and could operate at higher altitude).

How many F-35 does the US have?

Procurement and international participation

The United States is the primary customer and financial backer, with planned procurement of 1,763 F-35As for the USAF, 353 F-35Bs and 67 F-35Cs for the USMC, and 273 F-35Cs for the USN.

Is the F-35 still in production?

Lockheed Martin continues to build F-35 fighters, but deliveries are still on hold as the government and Pratt & Whitney investigate engine issues that contributed to an F-35B crash in December 2022, Lockheed officials said in a Jan. 24 earnings call with financial reporters.

This Has to be One of the BEST F35 Passes in the Mach Loop

How much does 1 F-35 cost?

The unit cost of the fighters will average about $75 million a copy, but that is without the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine. With the engine, the last three-lot deal achieved a unit cost below $80 million per jet.

How many F-35s have crashed?

There have been a total of five Class-A mishaps, the term the Air Force uses for its most expensive or deadly crashes, involving the F-35 since 2014, according to the latest data from the Air Force Safety Center. The previous crash was in fiscal 2020.

Why is the F-35 so special?

The F-35 has the most advanced sensor suite of any fighter in history, including the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, Distributed Aperture System (DAS), Electro Optical Targeting System (EOTS) and advanced electronic warfare capabilities to locate/track enemy forces, jam radars and disrupt attacks.

What is the U.S. most advanced fighter jet?

The Most Advanced Fighter Jet in the World

The F-35A conventional takeoff and landing variant, the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing variant, and the F-35C carrier variant.

Has the F-22 ever been in a dogfight?

After $67 billion and more than 20 years, the F-22 finally won a dogfight against an unarmed, nearly immobile opponent. When it officially entered military service in 2005, the U.S. Air Force hailed the F-22 Raptor as an "exponential leap in warfighting capabilities."

Why is the F-22 obsolete?

The F-22 will be replaced by a new fighter being developed in the Next Generation Air Dominance Program. The F-22 is being retired sooner than older jets because of its small numbers and high cost of operation.

Can anything beat an F-22?

The F-22 cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft. A combination of sensor capability, integrated avionics, situational awareness, and weapons provides first-kill opportunity against threats.

Can F-35 beat F-16?

The F-35 would beat an F-16 10 out of 10 times, bar none, because of its vastly superior stealth capabilities. In fact, the F-35 is so advanced that the F-16 likely wouldn't even know what hit it until it was too late.

Can the F-35 be seen on radar?

Stealth aircraft, such as the F-22 Raptor or the F-35 Lightning II 5th generation jets are equipped with Luneburg (or Luneberg) lenses: radar reflectors used to make the LO (Low Observable) aircraft (consciously) visible to radars.

Why did the F-35 fail?

The major impediment is repairs to the power module, one of five in the engine, which is designated F135, that's key to generating thrust. It's taking longer to repair, and the Pentagon lacks enough spare engines, the GAO said.

What is the most feared U.S. fighter jet?

F-15 Eagle is still one of the most dangerous jets around

The F-15 is a legend. The F-15 Eagle and its variants are some of the most capable jet fighters ever. McDonnell Douglas created and produced it primarily as an air superiority tactical fighter.

Which is the No 1 fighter jet in world?

#1.

The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is arguably the best fighter jet in the world.

What are the deadliest fighter planes?

As the most lethal, survivable and connected fighter jet in the world, the F-35 gives pilots the critical advantage against any adversary, enabling them to execute their mission and come home safe.

Has the F-35 seen combat?

Although the F-35 has been in service for only about six years, it has already been used in at least six combat operations.

What are the cons of the F-35?

Despite having planes in rotation, the F-35 has been plagued by structural and software issues that limit the aircraft's time at top speed, maneuverability at certain angles of attack, and stealth capabilities. The machine gun on the F-35A variant used by the Air Force cannot even shoot straight.

Can F-35 carry nukes?

Not all F-35As in the Air Force's fleet will become nuclear-capable. Only fighters in units with a nuclear mission will receive the hardware upgrades, and the manpower, to be able to carry nukes. The F-35s in the Nevada test were each armed with a dummy version of the B61-12 gravity nuclear weapon.

What is the slowest speed an F-35 can fly at?

Pentagon's Supersonic Test

Pentagon after the tests concluded that an F-35C can only fly at Mach 1.3 for 50 cumulative seconds, meaning that a pilot cannot clock 50 seconds at that speed, slow down for a couple of seconds and then speed back up.

What is the nickname of the F-35?

The official name is: Lightning II. The USAF has nicknamed their F-35A Panther - but under pilots it is often referred to as Fat Amy.

How many miles can an F-35 fly?

The F-35 measures 15.6m (51.2ft) in overall length, has a wingspan of 10.7m (35ft) and a height of 4.36m (14.3ft). Its top speed comes in at 1.6 Mach or 1,200mph – that is 1.6 times the speed of sound – and its maximum thrust tops 40,000lbs. The jet has a range of 900 nautical miles and a combat radius of 833km.