The A B Cs of the F-35

Written by Dabney B. on Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

The F-35 is quickly becoming the world’s most famous, prolific, and popular aircraft. Sure, it’s got plenty of hardware and weaponry, but these aren’t the only reasons why the F-35 is so popular. After all, there are aircraft that are faster, capable of carrying more weaponry, and cheaper than the F-35.

What makes the F-35 excel in the face of competition is that the F-35 is quite possibly the single most versatile aircraft for the least amount of money. By being something of a jack-of-all-trades, a country can rely on the power and versatility of the F-35 in almost any mission rather than acquiring a range of specialist aircraft.

The F-35 is so versatile, in fact, that it comes in 3 different models that are ideal for certain missions.

F-35A

The F-35A is your standard, vanilla-flavored fighter jet. The cheapest of the 3 models, a country can write a check for a measly $122 million and fly it home.

Don’t let the fact that the F-35 is the most basic model fool you; $122 million will buy you an incredible jet.

The F-35 outperforms most other aircraft, including the F-16, in virtually any test. As the lightest model and the only version to come equipped with an internally mounted GAU-22/A, the F-35A is quick and lethal.

An all-around devastating jet, the F-35A is perfect for any Air Force looking to defend their skies. The F-35A’s reliance on a traditional runway means that it must be tethered to an airbase. The F-35A is an excellent choice for defense, but is will not be as useful for offensive cheap cialis online pharmacy missions unless an airbase is near the area of conflict.

 

F-35B

Priced at a hefty $150 million, the F-35B is the most expensive and most specialized of the F-35 models.

The primary upgrade to the F-35B models is the vertical flight system that gives it STOVL (short take-off vertical landing) capabilities.

As a STOVL-capable aircraft, the F-35B is able to perform missions just about anywhere, including locations that would be inaccessible to standard aircraft like the F-35A.

Equipping the F-35B for STOVL required sacrifice, however, as the F-35B has a much smaller fuel capacity than the F-35A, and it can only handle 7 g compared to the F-35A’s 9 g frame.

But if the F-35B is the only fighter aircraft in the area because it’s the only aircraft that can actually reach the area, then these disadvantages suddenly don’t seem so bad.

 

F-35C

With larger wings for better low-speed control, extra powerful landing gear, and foldable wingtip sections, the F-35C is designed specifically for carriers.

Most of the F-35’s variations focus around the unique landing and take-off conditions of aircraft carriers. Because the F-35 demands more hardware than the F-35A but is still less specialized than the F-35B, the F-35 is moderately priced at about $139 million.

Our friends over the pond discovered another advantage of the F-35C, reporting that the F-35C has a 25% lower lifetime maintenance cost than the F-35B.

These features make the F-35C perfect for navies that want to enhance the fire power of their carriers, but don’t want to blow the bank on F-35Bs.

 

If you want advice about the world of military aviation, there’s no better people to turn to than men and women who have sat in the cockpit and flown some of the world’s most advanced aircraft. With over 50 current and ex-warfighters on call, Strike Fighter Consulting Inc. can give you access to up-to-date, first-hand technical and tactical expertise.