F-35B Lightning II STOVL Stealth Fighter

Lockheed Martin’s F-35B Lightning II short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) stealth fighter engaged in it’s first in-flight STOVL test operation on january 7th, a good time to look back at one of the most advanced jet fighters on the planet.

The F-35 Lightning II was developped for the Joint Strike Fighter program for the United States and it’s allies. The goal was to create a supersonic fighter jet with STOVL capabilities. On the 16th of november 1996, two contracts were awarded for the creation of a prototype to Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Each firm was to produce two aircrafts to demonstrate conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL), carrier takeoff and landing (CV version), and short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL). Both were awarded $750 million for the developpement of the contract. Lockheed Martin’s more conventional X-35 design defeated Boeing’s X-32 with a historical flight in which it took off in less than 150 m (500 ft), went supersonic, and landed vertically. Boeing failed to acheive the feat and Lockheed won the contract for System Development and Demonstration on 26 October 2001. The X-35 went on to become the developpement model for the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. Along with the US, the F-35 will be sold to at least 10 “participants” most of which participated finantially to the aircraft’s developpement. The UK alone contributed 2.5 billion US Dollars, or 10% of the planned developement costs.

Three versions of the F-35 are planned:

The F-35A is the Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL) version. It’s the lightest of the three F-35s, weighing only 13 300 kg (29 300 pounds). It is the only version to have an internal cannon, and its main goals are maneuverability, instantaneous and sustained high-g performance, stealth, payload, range on internal fuel, supportability and survivability. It is intended for air forces and will mainly be used by the US Airforce, replacing the F-16 Fighting Falcon in 2013.

The F-35B is the STOVL version. it is similar in size to the A variant but sacrifices some fuel volume to make room for the vertical flight system. Whereas F-35A is stressed to 9 g, the F-35B is stressed to only 7 g. Both the British Airforce and the Royal Navy plan to replace their current Harrier models with the F-35B. It will also be used bu the US Marine Corps.

The F-35C is the Carrier variant (CV). It has larger, folding wings and larger control surfaces for improved low-speed control. This allows slower landing speeds, an increased range and larger payload. It will be used by the US Navy.

The F-35B is the most interesting of the three variants. It has been designed to do STOV flight, i.e. Short TakeOff and Vertical Landing. The F-35 is the second fighter to have this ability, preceded only by the joint British and American Harriers. The vertical flight capabilities of the F-35B does not use the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine like the two other variants but Lockheed’s own patented LiftSystem, built by Rolls Royce. The LiftSystem is composed of a lift fan, drive shaft, two roll posts and a 3BSM (Three Bearing Swivel Module). The 3BSM is a thrust vectoring nozzle which allows the main engine exhaust to be deflected downward at the tail of the aircraft. Another lift fan near the front of the aircraft counter-balances the thrust, therefore providing an overall upward thrust. This system is (allegedly) more reliable than the previous designs used in the Harrier and Harrier II crafts as the engine can operate in extreme conditions without being deteriorated. The Harrier crafts had a knack of overheating as they were close to the ground and the engine would intake it’s own heat.

The power of the engine is not strong enough for vertical takeoffs, but it can be used for shorter takeoffs and vertical landings. This feature gives more flexibility to the customer (i.e. the army) because it can operate its fighters in places where it doesn’t have the luxury of long landing strips provided by airports. A more flexible aircraft means more flexible operations, a deeper penetration in enemy territory for air superiority and ultimately saving lives (on your side, not the enemy’s). It might be vital in future wars in places similar to Afghanistan where allied forces are likely to find bad infrastructure and harsh climate.

The F-35 boasts a maximum speed of Mach 2.67 or 2,065 km/h (1,283 mph) with a dry thrust of 28,000 lbf (125 kN) and 43,000 lbf (191 kN) with afterburner.

You can find the full specifications here

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