Why Is the F-35 the Fighter Jet of Choice of Air Forces Trying to Upgrade?

(Photo : JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images)
A Royal Norwegian Air Force's F-35 jet takes off from Orland Air Base during the The Arctic Fighter Meet exercises occurring from August 21 to 25 in Brekstad, located west of Trondheim, Norway, on August 23, 2023. Norwegian F-35, Swedish JAS Gripen and Finnish F-18 participate in the Arctic Fighter Meet exercise, part of the Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO).

With several air forces announcing they would eventually get rid of some of their F-16 fighter jets and transfer them to Ukraine, many defense observers notice a trend that they are replacing it with the F-35, the next-generation multirole fighter jet.

However, it is not just air forces who are trying to replace very venerable warplanes that shaped the latter half of the 20th century and influenced the 21st. Other military branches are also discerning to replace their seaborne fighters and close-air support aircraft with the F-35's carrier variants.

With this in mind, Slash Gear released an article diving deep into the F-35, the fighter jet of choice of air forces - and navies - trying to upgrade.

Overview of the F-35

The F-35 Lightning II is a fifth-generation single-seat stealth fighter developed by Lockheed Martin in the early 2000s. With a top speed of up to Mach 1.6 (1.6 times the speed of sound) thanks to its Pratt and Whitney turbofan engine producing around 43,000 pounds (191 kilonewtons) of thrust, the company claims the F-35 to be the "most advanced fighter jet in the world" and the "most lethal, stealthy, and survivable aircraft."

It comes with three variations - A, B, and C, which have distinct capabilities despite the similarities in the airframe. All variants are capable of eluding enemy radar and surface-to-air missile (SAM) installations, as well as conducting electronic warfare sorties. It is also similar to the earlier-commissioned F-22 Raptor as the aircraft has an internal weapons bay to deny enemy radar detection further.

As for weapons, the F-35 could carry 18,000 pounds (8,165 kg) worth of internal and external missiles and bombs, depending on the mission profile. The fighter also has an internal 25mm cannon as a weapon of last resort.

While public sources put the default payload capacity of the F-35 at 18,000 pounds, the Royal Australian Air Force has flown its F-35A in what they called "beast mode" after it carried 22,000 pounds (almost 10,000 kg) of munitions in a 2021 flight test.

Development of the F-35 could be traced back to 1997 when the US Department of Defense selected Lockheed Martin to compete in a bid for the Joint Strike Fighter concept.

However, testing, development, and manufacturing of the aircraft took a few years to materialize, culminating on the first-ever test flight of the conventionally designed X35A in 2000 and the hover and vertical landing capability test of the X35B a year later.

It also took several years to integrate the fighter jet into three of the branches of the US Armed Forces, with the US Air Force first adopting it in 2011.

Right Variant for the Right Job

While the airframes of the three variants of the F-35, the payload they could carry, and the roles they could perform are similar and may overlap, their primary roles in the services they are used to vary.

The F-35A is the most basic and most conventional of the three variants. Its role is similar to the F-22 in terms of combat and stealth capabilities, and it takes off and lands like any other fighter jet. Both the F-22 and the F-35A are primarily operated by the US Air Force as a multirole fighter capable of air-to-air combat as well as airstrikes. F-35A pilots could also have a potential capability of commanding several fighter drones as "loyal wingmen" like the XQ-58A Valkyrie in the future.

Outside the US, the F35A is also used by other countries as an upgrade to the F-16, specifically within the NATO alliance, of which the US is a major partner.

A subvariant of the F-35A is also being developed by Israel as the F-35I, nicknamed "Adir," meaning "Awesome," "Mighty One," or "Magnificent." The Israeli variant is used as a testbed for the country's indigenous electronic warfare systems despite initial hesitation and refusal from Washington.

The F-35B is the most famous of the variants due to its short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) capability, and was intended to be the supersonic replacement of the subsonic but venerable Harrier jump jet used by both the US Marine Corps and the British Royal Navy.

It was a US Marine F-35B that was involved in an incident a few weeks ago near Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina.

While they are mostly used by the US Marines mainly for close air support, there are also other countries that currently operate or are awaiting delivery of F-35Bs for their navies and air forces. In particular, both the UK and Japan are intending to order the B variant to fit the needs of their own aircraft carriers - the Queen Elizabeth-class and the Izumo-class, respectively.

Currently, the US Navy and Marines are the only military services that operate the F-35C in tandem with the F-18 Hornet. Unlike its sisters, the C variant meets the needs of US aircraft carriers, which operate a catapult-assisted take-off and barrier-assisted recovery (CATOBAR) system. This meant the F-35C has a larger wing and is equipped with a tail hook in order to safely land in a carrier. Like the latest variant of the F-18 called the Super Hornet, the F-35C can be outfitted to perform a variety of missions tailored for the Navy and Marines.

With all its capabilities - from stealth to air combat to bombing runs to electronic warfare - it is no wonder many air forces and navies dream of procuring the F-35 as their fifth-generation fighter jet of choice.