F-35B Lightning II

F-35B Lightning II (Multirole fighter, STOVL – Short Take-off and Vertical Landing)

Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

First flight: 15 December 2006

Introduction: December 2015

Produced: 2006-present

Number built: 42 as of May 2014

Number planned: 353

Program cost: $1.0165 trillion (projected over 55 years)

Unit cost: $142 million (low rate initial production)

Crew: 1

Length: 15.57 m

Wingspan: 10.67 m

Height: 4.36 m

Wing area: 42.7 m²

Empty weight: 14,650 kg

Loaded weight: 22,240 kg

Max. takeoff weight: 27,215 kg

Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney F135-400 afterburning turbofan

Dry thrust: 12,746 kgf (125 kN)

Thrust with afterburner: 19,477 kgf (191 kN)

Internal fuel capacity: 6,045 kg

Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 1.6+ (1,930 km/h) (tested to Mach 1.61)

Cruise speed: 1.2 mach for 9.8 min

Range: 1,670 km on internal fuel

Combat radius: 845 km on internal fuel

Wing loading: 520 kg/m²; 632 kg/m² max loaded

Thrust/weight:

With full fuel – 0.90

With 50% fuel – 1.04

Maximum g-load: 9 g

Armament

Guns: 1× General Dynamics 25 mm GAU-22/A 4-barrel Gatling gun, internally mounted with 220 rounds

Hardpoints: 6× external pylons on wings with a capacity of 6,800 kg and 2 internal bays with 2 pylons each for a total weapons payload of 8,100 kg and provisions to carry combinations of:

Missiles

Air-to-air missiles:

AIM-120 AMRAAM;

AIM-9X Sidewinder;

IRIS-T;

MBDA Meteor (pending further funding)

Air-to-surface missiles:

AGM-88 AARGM;

AGM-158 JASSM;

Brimstone missile / MBDA SPEAR;

Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM);

Storm Shadow missile;

SOM

Anti-ship missiles:

Joint Strike Missile (JSM);

Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM)

Bombs

Mark-84 or Mark-83 or Mark-82 GP bombs

Mark-20 Rockeye II cluster bomb

Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) capable

Paveway series laser-guided bombs

Small Diameter Bomb (SDB)

Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) series

AGM-154 JSOW

B61 mod 12 nuclear bomb

Avionics

Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/APG-81 AESA radar

Lockheed Martin AAQ-40 E/O Targeting System (EOTS)

Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/AAQ-37 Distributed Aperture System (DAS) missile warning system

BAE Systems AN/ASQ-239 (Barracuda) electronic warfare system

Northrop Grumman AN/ASQ-242 CNI system, which includes:

The Harris Corporation Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) communication system;

The legacy Link 16 data link;

SINCGARS;

An IFF interrogator and transponder;

HAVE QUICK;

AM, VHF, UHF AM, and UHF FM Radio;

GUARD survival radio;

A radar altimeter;

An instrument landing system;

A TACAN system;

An instrument carrier landing system;

A JPALS;

TADIL-J JVMF/VMF

Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin finalized the eighth F-35 Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP-8) contract for 43 F-35 Lightning II airframes

A UK test team including personnel from BAE Systems, has successfully completed initial aircraft handling trials for ASRAAM (Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile) and Paveway IV weapons on the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II aircraft at Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland, United States.

(http://www.dmitryshulgin.com/2014/12/29/vertical-take-off/)