By Bill Sweetman; Illustration by Nick Kaloterakis
1.Why Build It?
The 400 short-takeoff, vertical-landing (STOVL) F-35Bs ordered by the Pentagon will replace both the F/A-18 Hornet and the British-built Harrier STOVL fighter, which is slow, hard to fly and not stealthy. The F-35B lets Marines launch missions from small ships instead of Navy carriers.
2.When Will It Fly?
A prototype, the X-35B, tested the plane’s unique vertical lift system in a brief series of flights in 2000. The first production F-35B will fly early next year and should enter service in 2012. The first conventional (non-vertical-lift) F-35A began test flights in December 2006.
3.How Does It Take Off?
Though the F-35B can land vertically, it needs a running start—as little as 300 feet—to take off. It begins its takeoff roll with the main engine pointing straight back. At a paltry 80 knots, the engine nozzle and lift-fan exhausts swing halfway down to give it vertical lift and the plane gets airborne.
SIZE: length, 51.1 ft.; span, 35 ft. WEIGHT: 55,000 lbs. FORWARD THRUST: 43,000 lb-ft. VERTICAL THRUST: 15,700 lb-ft. from the main engine, 20,000 lb-ft. from the lift fan and 3,700 lb-ft. from roll posts under the wings COST: $110 million each MAX. SPEED: 990 mph CRUISING SPEED: 600 mph WEAPONS: Two 1,000-lb. Joint Direct Attack Munition GPS-guided bombs and two AMRAAM air-to-air missiles; 25-mm four-barrel Gatling cannon RANGE: 450 nautical miles MIN. TAKEOFF DISTANCE: 300 ft. LANDING DISTANCE: 0 ft. MORE INFO:jsf.mil
