F-35A Lightning ii

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a single - seat l, stealth-capable, fifth-generation multirole fighter aircraft developed under the Joint Strike Fighter program to replace the F-16, A-10, F /A-18 and the AV-8B in ground attack, reconnaissance and air defense missions. This aircraft was designed in three different versions: the F-35A for conventional takeoff and landing [CTOL], the F-35B capable of short takeoff and vertical landing [STOVL], and the F-35C which is a naval variant capable of operate on aircraft carriers.

The F-35 is the descendant of the X-35 fielded by Lockheed-Martin in the Joint Strike Fighter [JSF] program, in which it competed against Boeing's proposed X-32.

The F-35 currently uses Pratt & Whitney's F135 engine. In 2011, the Pentagon canceled plans for a second engine built by GE, leaving one supplier for the Defense Department's largest acquisition program.