F-35A Lightning II

F-35A Lightning II (Multirole fighter, CTOL – Conventional Take-off and Landing)

Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

First flight: 15 December 2006

Introduction: December 2016

Produced: 2006-present

Number built: 44 as of May 2014

Number planned: 1763

Program cost: $1.0165 trillion (projected over 55 years)

Unit cost: $114 million (low rate initial production, full production in 2018 to be $85 million)

Crew: 1

Length: 15.57 m

Wingspan: 10.67 m

Height: 4.38 m

Wing area: 42.7 m²

Empty weight: 13,290 kg

Loaded weight: 24,350 kg

Max. takeoff weight: 29,100 kg

Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney F135-100 afterburning turbofan

Dry thrust: 12,746 kgf (125 kN)

Thrust with afterburner: 19,477 kgf (191 kN)

Internal fuel capacity: 8,390 kg

Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 1.6+ (1,930 km/h) (tested to Mach 1.61)

Cruise speed: 1.2 mach for 9.8 min

Range: 2,220 km on internal fuel

Combat radius: 1,135 km on internal fuel

Wing loading: 569 kg/m²; 744 kg/m² max loaded

Thrust/weight:

With full fuel – 0.87

With 50% fuel – 1.07

Maximum g-load: 9 g

Armament

Guns: 1× General Dynamics 25 mm GAU-22/A 4-barrel Gatling gun, internally mounted with 180 rounds

Hardpoints: 6× external pylons on wings with a capacity of 6,800 kg and 2 internal bays with 2 pylons each for a total weapons payload of 8,100 kg and provisions to carry combinations of:

Missiles

Air-to-air missiles:

AIM-120 AMRAAM;

AIM-9X Sidewinder;

IRIS-T;

MBDA Meteor (pending further funding)

Air-to-surface missiles:

AGM-88 AARGM;

AGM-158 JASSM;

Brimstone missile / MBDA SPEAR;

Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM);

Storm Shadow missile;

SOM

Anti-ship missiles:

Joint Strike Missile (JSM);

Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM)

Bombs

Mark-84 or Mark-83 or Mark-82 GP bombs

Mark-20 Rockeye II cluster bomb

Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) capable

Paveway series laser-guided bombs

Small Diameter Bomb (SDB)

Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) series

AGM-154 JSOW

B61 mod 12 nuclear bomb

Avionics

Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/APG-81 AESA radar

Lockheed Martin AAQ-40 E/O Targeting System (EOTS)

Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/AAQ-37 Distributed Aperture System (DAS) missile warning system

BAE Systems AN/ASQ-239 (Barracuda) electronic warfare system

Northrop Grumman AN/ASQ-242 CNI system, which includes:

The Harris Corporation Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) communication system;

The legacy Link 16 data link;

SINCGARS;

An IFF interrogator and transponder;

HAVE QUICK;

AM, VHF, UHF AM, and UHF FM Radio;

GUARD survival radio;

A radar altimeter;

An instrument landing system;

A TACAN system;

An instrument carrier landing system;

A JPALS;

TADIL-J JVMF/VMF

Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin finalized the eighth F-35 Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP-8) contract for 43 F-35 Lightning II airframes

The first Royal Australian Air Force F-35A Lightning II jet arrived at USAF's Luke Air Force Base. The jet's arrival marks the first international partner F-35 to arrive for training at Luke. Australia's training will be conducted in conjunction with the 61st Fighter Squadron. Other partner-nations that will be joining the U.S. and Australia in the F-35A training program here will be Turkey, Italy, Norway, and the Netherlands, in addition to Foreign Military Sales countries Japan, Korea and Israel.

(http://www.dmitryshulgin.com/2014/12/25/future-is-here/)