F-35A Lightning II

The U.S. Air Force's fifth-generation multirole stealth fighter — combining low observability, sensor fusion, and internal weapons carriage in a single-engine CTOL design, operated by the U.S. and 18 partner nations.

Overview

The F-35A Lightning II is the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 family, the Pentagon’s largest weapons program. It is the principal 5th-generation fighter of the U.S. Air Force and the most numerous stealth combat aircraft in the world, with over 1,300 delivered to date across the broader F-35 program Army Recognition. The aircraft blends low-observable shaping, internal payload bays, and an advanced sensor-fusion architecture to operate as a networked sensor node in contested airspace. Mature production, despite recurring sustainment and upgrade challenges, continues to drive unit costs downward; a recent blocking buy for Lots 18–19 contracted 296 aircraft at about $24.3 billion Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Development

The F-35 traces its roots to the Joint Strike Fighter program, launched in the 1990s to replace several Cold War-era tactical fleets with a common family of multi-service fighters. Lockheed Martin’s X-35 demonstrator defeated the Boeing X-32 in 2001, and the F-35A prototype first flew in December 2006. Flight-test and development encountered substantial cost growth, software integration delays, and weight-growth issues, delaying initial operational capability (IOC) to August 2016 for the U.S. Air Force. By 2025, the program had delivered a record 191 aircraft in a single year Army Recognition. The F-35B short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) and F-35C carrier variant (CV) followed, both sharing a common core with the A model.

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