Technological development
never ceases when it comes to the defense industry. The next big thing for the U.S. Armed Forces
is the F-35 Lightning II. Built by Lockheed-Martin, the F-35 is a development of
the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) project a competition between Boeing and
Lockheed to build the next-generation stealth fighter for the U.S.
Military. The Department of Defense
(DOD) chose Lockheed's X-35 model over Boeing's X-32, meaning that the X-35
would become the foundation for the development of the F-35.
The F-35 is a single engine,
single pilot, stealth fighter that is slated to replace a number of aircraft both
in the U.S. arsenal, and in the air forces of other nations around the
world. The F-35 utilizes the most
cutting-edge technologies the defense industry has to offer. In the cockpit, the pilot uses a speech-recognition
program to control various functions of the aircraft. In addition to the main radar and infrared
sensor system underneath the front of the aircraft, an entire array of thermal
and optical sensors blanket the aircraft.
This sensor array provides a state-of-the-art missile detection and
target acquisition system. Using stealth technology, the shell of the aircraft has
an extremely small radar signature, reducing an enemy's ability to spot it.
The F-35 uses the Pratt & Whitney F135 jet engine, which produces over 40 thousand pounds of thrust with
full afterburner. GE and Rolls Royce are
also developing their own engine for the aircraft (the F136). The F-35 has a top speed of over Mach 1.6 and
a maximum range of 1,400 nautical miles.
Tomorrow, we'll examine the
three variants of the F-35 Lightning II.
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Re: F-35 Lightning II: Next Generation Fighter (Part 1)
