Lockheed F-35 Lightning II

Also known under the name of Joint Strike Fighter ( JSF ), the F-35 Lightning II is a Avion multirôle under development by the manufacturer Lockheed Martin, with like principal partners Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems, and which must enter in service at horizon 2010/2011.

Initially launched to equip the three air components with the American armed forces (US Air Force, US Navy and US Marine Body), the program of F-35 was quickly joined by ten countries which take part in its financing and its realization. It should be produced with more than 2000 specimens.

Design

With the beginning of the year 1990, the US Navy lance a program A/F-X to replace its A-6 Intruder, the US Air Force starts to think of a successor of the F-16, while the US Marine Body research a plane of the type v.t.o.l more powerful than its AV8 Harrier II. Under the pressure of the Pentagon and in order to reduce the development costs, these three needs were gathered in a single program baptized “Joint Advanced Strike Technology” ( JAST ),

JAST program office was established the January 27th 1994 and 24 contracts of preliminary studies, with the financing associated, signed in December of the same year. It was envisaged to develop a basic cell single-seat single engine declined in three alternatives: a first based on the ground, one second embarked on board Aircraft carrier and a third on short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL). With the end of the year 1995, the program Re-was indicated JSF (for “Joint Strike Fighter”) and a cooperation agreement signed with the the United Kingdom which had the same needs as USMC and a great experiment in the field of v.t.o.l.

The final schedule of conditions was written in March 1996 and, in November of the same year, the contracts had signed with two respectively directed industrial teams by Boeing and Lockheed Martin to cover the phase of demonstration ( Concept Demonstration Phase ). For this reason, each of the two consortia was to build two demonstrators: that of Boeing was indicated X-32 and that of Lockheed Martin X-35.

Demonstrator X-35A made his inaugural flight on October 24th, 2000 and carried out 27 trial flights in one month, in particular including an in-flight refueling and a flight at supersonic speed. While this demonstrator was returned in factory to be transformed into X-35B (version STOVL), demonstrator X-35C of the embarked version flew away for the first time on December 16th, 2000. Lastly, on June 23rd, 2001, the X-35B began its trial flights by carrying out its first vertical landing.

In October 2001, the team Lockheed Martin and her X-35 were retained to develop the JSF, preferably with the X-32 of Boeing. The official ones of the Department of Defense and the British Minister for defense William Bach indeed indicated that X-35 exceeded in all X-32. Many are those which say that the choice was done by the superiority of Lockheed Martin on the furtive planes.

The July 7th 2006, the US Air Force officially named F-35 Lightning II , in the honor as well of the American plane of the Second world war Lockheed P-38 Lightning as of the interceptor with English reaction English Electric Lightning. The other names suggested were Kestrel (which returns at the origins of the Harrier), Phoenix , Piasa , Black Mamba , and Spitfire II (which returns to the Supermarine Spitfire).

Not less than 21 specimens of preproduction must be built (7 of each version) in order to conclude the process of tests and validation before the first deliveries envisaged into 2010/2011. Indicated AA-1, first F-35 of preproduction made its inaugural flight on December 15th, 2006. It is still about a prototype which is not completely representative of the final planes. On the 21 planes of preproduction, 14 must be used for the 7 and in-flight tests with the various static tests of measurement of structural resistance, ageing, etc

The discussions on the number of apparatuses are always in hand but the initial estimates, bearing on close to: 3000 F-35 only for the the United States and the the United Kingdom, were revised with the fall. Officially this figure was brought back to a little more: 2500 specimens in 2006, but it seems that USAF reflects to again reduce its order of 500 units, which would reduce the total to approximately: 2000 F-35.

Industrial partnerships

Several countries take part in the program of the JSF, according to three levels of co-operation related at the same time on the amounts invested in the development and the associated technology transfers:

the the United Kingdom (only partner of first level)
La British company BAE Systems is in load of the design and the manufacture of the back fuselage (including the drifts and ailerons) and of most of the electronics of edge. On its side Rolls-Royce the Soufflante F-35B provides and works with General Electric on the F-136 engine (see below)
the Italy and the Netherlands (second level)
L' Italy should be in charge of the assembly of all F-35 intended for European countries, in a new factory, and the firm Alenia Aeronautica will provide in the long term half of the aerofoils intended for the whole of the production.
the Turkey, the Australia, the Norway, the Denmark and the Canada (third level)
Israel and Singapore are also associated with the program.

The aircraft of first series will be equipped with an engine Pratt & Whitney F-135, derived from the P&W F-119 of the F-22 '' Raptor ''. However, General Electric and Rolls Royce always work on the F-136 engine which could equip certain batches, even if the Pentagone officially announced its choice of F-135 de Pratt & Whitney.

Alternatives

The JSF is a plane multi-role and hunter indicated to replace as much the F-16 '' Fighting Falcon '', F/A-18 '' Hornet '', the A-10 '' Thunderbolt II '', and AV-8B Harrier II. It must also be a complement of the F-22 '' Raptor '' of USAF and F/A-18E/F '' Super Hornet '' of US Navy, like Eurofighter Typhoon European. In order to meet these various needs, three different versions are envisaged.

F-35A is a general-purpose hunter optimized for the attack on the ground. It will integrate USAF initially to replace F-16 and A-10, and to shoulder F-22. This version was also ordered by the Netherlands, the Italy, the Australia, the Canada and the Turkey. It carries up to 8,38 tons of in-house fuel.

F-35B is an alternative STOVL (Shorts TakeOff/Vertical Landing or short takeoff and vertical landing ) which will be delivered to the US Marine Body like with the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air ARM British, to replace the various versions of the AV-8B Harrier II in service currently. This version has a Soufflante integrated vertically in the fuselage into the back of the Cockpit, (used only for takeoff or the landing), as well as a directional principal conduit downwards. The blower is connected to the low pressure turbine of the principal engine. The internal capacity while carburizing is reduced to 6,35 tons.
F-35C is a version embarked on Porte-avions intended for the US Navy. This version has a scale higher than the F-35A and F-35B (what enables him to make pass the capacity by carburizing intern to 9,11 tons), a structure reinforced to support the constraints of the landing and catapult-launching, and folding ends of aerofoil.

Other characteristics

Initially constituted of a part of only one holding, the upper part of the wing was finally broken up into seven different parts in order to facilitate construction. The Signature radar was reduced thanks to the angles and with the form of the structure, rather similar to that of the F-22 Raptor.

The armament will be carried in compartments laid out under the fuselage in order to ensure the furtivity of the apparatus, but external loads could also be carried. The F-35A and C have 2 principal compartments making it possible to carry 907 kg of load each one and 2 secondary compartments for a missile AIM-120 AMRAAM. The F-35B will be able to carry only 454kg of load in its 2 principal compartments. The external capacity of carrying reaches 9 tons distributed out of 7 pylons.

F-35 will be equipped with the following systems:

Radar with electronic antenna active AN/APG-81 (resulting from an/APG-77 of the F-22 Raptor) with air-to-air modes, followed ground, detection of terrestrial mobiles, listens passive and of the capacities of jamming
jammer Sanders/ITT ALQ-214
AN/AAQ-37 Distributed Aperture System, including/understanding 6 detectors Infrarouge S divided into various points in order to provide a vision to 360° around the plane
Electro-Optical Sensor System (EOSS), system of localization and designation including/understanding a system of detection Infrarouge (FLIR), a camera TV and a system Laser (telemetry, designation of target)

The instrument panel is composed mainly of 2 screens LCD colors of 20 X25 cm. Their surface is tactile, which removes the need for selector knobs. Traditional the sight head high is removed, information being projected directly on the visor of the helmet of the pilot.

See too

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program, the official site
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter on GlobalSecurity.org
Magazine Air Fan of March 2007 (n° 340) and April 2007 (n° 341)
List of the military aircrafts

References

Random links: