F-35 lightning

             F-35 lightning ||

This is one of the three fifth generation aircraft in the world created by the United States. It is a stealth, All weather muti-role combat aircraft.Produced in the US, the jets cost £100 million each (the pilot’s helmet costs £250,000 alone), and can reach speeds of 1,200 mph.

   Its development represents the largest and most expensive military programme in history – an estimated cost of $406.5 billion for its service lifetime (until 2070), with over $1 trillion in addition maintenance   It has three variants which are the 

📍 F-35A (CTOL) meaning conventional take off and landing which means it's use mostly by the air Force and it's the only to Carry a internal cannon. Created in the 2 August 2016 cost per aircraft is $77.9 million dollars. It weighs 2400 pounds (1,100 kg)

And it's problem or default is that it's 25 mm machine gun does not shoot well due to a software bug present in it.

📍 F-35B (STVL) meaning short takeoff and vertical landing is use both by the air Force and Navy. It was created in 31, July 2015 and cost $101.3 million dollars. And it weighs 3000 pounds (1400 kg)

📍 F-35C this is an aircraft carrier variant it is larger and more powerful because it will need tremendous energy to get off an aircraft carrier and it is the first 5th generational aircraft to be stealth. It was created in 28, February 2019 and cost $94.4 million dollars each. And it weighs 1900 pounds (860 kg)

   The main purpose why the Pentagon created the f-35 is that they need an aircraft that will dominate the airfield and with low cost so the joint strike fighter was created to create an efficient aircraft which the deal was later granted to the Lockheed Martin to create an aircraft.

    The prototype was flown in 15, December 2006 and it was first use in combat in 2018 in the ISIS war.

      It has the capabilites of

. Air support

. Air to Air Superiority

. Amphibious Assault

. Electronic warfare

    And it's weakness it's

📍It can't go on a dog fight because of it's fault in its machine gun.

📍 It's slow in speed moving at Mach 1.6(Supersonic) 

 📍Faults in its coding and software system.

📍And low life and cost on average an aircraft is meant to be able to have a service Lifetime of 8000 hours but due to technical and engineering problems is lifetime is (2,100 hours)   The Lightning faced criticism during its development, which began in 1992, for being “plagued with design flaws” and for falling behind schedule while also going well over budget.

And it was projected it will cost $35 million dollars per plane but due to over cost and delays it cost more.

One of the coolest F-35 Facts is that unlike the F-22 Raptor fifths generation of fighter, the F-35 is available to countries all over the world. It’s currently manufactured in three locations: Fort Worth, TX, Cameri, Italy, and Nagoya, Japan. Furthermore, this complex aircraft utilizes over 300,000 separate parts coming from 1,500 suppliers located all over the globe.Despite the development issues with the JSF program, the F-35 Lightning II now has over 90,000 cumulative flight hours to its name. The F-35 Lightning II flight systems are the most advanced available. Lockheed Martin refers to these as the “supercomputer” within, or the F-35 “brain”.  The “brain” operates using 5 distinct sensors including Electronic Warfare (EW), Radar, Communication, Navigation and Identification (CNI), Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) and the Distributed Aperture System (DAS). And within these systems lies over 8 million lines of complex code. This is more than any other US or allied jet in existence.

The powerplant—the Pratt & Whitney F135—is an afterburning turbofan engine developed specifically for the F-35 Lightning II. Lockheed Martin claims that the engine is the most powerful available for a fifth-generation fighter. Able to generate 41,000 lbf of thrust, the flexible design of the F135 also contributes to the maneuverability and operational flexibility of the F-35 by enabling some of its enhanced features

    ELECTRONIC WARFARE

Electronic warfare has been around for some time, but in the 21st century it has become a vital function. Information is power, and the F-35 Lightning II is designed with that in mind. The F-35’s sophisticated, next generation electronic warfare capabilities include false targets, network attack abilities, advanced radar and communications jamming, and data streaming. Combined with the F-35’s self-protection capabilities and stealth design, this fifth-generation fighter can target the enemy both physically and in the digital realm.

               THE HELMETS

The helmet mounted display system integrated into the F-35 Lightning II’s flight systems is state of the art. More than that, it may be defining the art. Vital information—airspeed, heading, altitude, weapons operation and targeting, and warnings—is projected onto the interior of the helmet’s visor. Additionally, six cameras mounted around the F-35 allow the pilot to look through and around the airframe even in flight. This allows for unprecedented focus and control by the pilot, making the F-35 Lighting II the most advanced and powerful fighter currently in the skies.