_latestReleased_bae_cimg_dsei_f35_ligntning2_l_OversizeJPGLarge.jpg)
Posted on 08/21/2008 5:25:12 AM PDT by MARKUSPRIME
FORT WORTH, Texas, August 18th, 2008 -- With one F-35 Lightning II aircraft in structural testing, two in flight test, six in final assembly and another 14 in various stages of production, Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] added to the program’s momentum on Saturday by finishing assembly of the fourth F-35 aircraft, a short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B.
“The completion of our fourth F-35 – and the growing line of aircraft now forming behind it – shows an emerging rhythm in our production line,” said Dan Crowley, Lockheed Martin executive vice president and F-35 program general manager. “In just a few days we will have all three Lightning II variants in final assembly when we take delivery of the first F-35C carrier variant center fuselage. From the very first F-35, assembly quality has been unprecedented, and each successive aircraft is measurably better than the one that preceded it.”
The new aircraft was moved immediately to the flight line, where it will undergo an extensive battery of ground tests before its first flight in early 2009. The first F-35B made its inaugural flight on June 11 and has completed nine missions. The first F-35A, a conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant, has flown 45 times.
No photos? What’s up with that?
Im tired, just got off work. They are plenty on the internet. Post em up hehe.
Let’s really show ‘em what we’ve got, shall we?
WOOOHOOO! GRRRREAT news & pics! Thanks for posting.
I think the F-35 will surpass all expectations. And it’s more multi-role than the F-22.
I like its lines better than the F-22. Wish I could fly the F-35!!
“Wish I could fly the F-35!!”
I’d settle for ride in a chase plane as a videographer!
It’s a reiteration of the high/low mix that was used with the F-15/F-16 programs.
The F-22 was intended strictly as an “air dominance” fighter (although it has some AG capability) and the F-35A (for the USAF) was intended to replace the F-16 in the multi-role function.
Likewise, the F-35 is an export program, just like the F-16.
Unlike the F-15, we won’t be offering the F-22 outside a VERY limited circle.
The F-35 is theoretically about half as expensive as the F-22. The numbers seem to run between 60 and 97 million per aircraft while an F-22 is about $160 million. Lockheed is planning producing more than 200 F-35s per year as a replacement for the F-16.
An F-22 VTOL would require complete redesign.
From a military perspective, the F-22 is what is called an ‘Air Superiority Fighter’. It's meant to dominate other aircraft in the sky, like the F-15s used to do in the 80s. The F-35 is a ‘multi-role fighter’, that can be used for close air support, tactical bombing, and air superiority.
As cool as the F-22 is, the F-35 is alot more practical. It's cheaper, faster to produce, is stealthy like the F-22, can be an air superiority fighter like the F-22, but can also be configured to be a bomber, and support aircraft.
Hope this helps.
I believe that is the plane my nephew will be flying. He’s in ground school right now.
I don’t think the F-22 was designed as a carrier-born platform. The airframe archtitecture and landing gear of the Raptor may not have been developed to withstand the resulting extreme loads of carrier landings.
...”carrier-borne”?...
Carrier-Bourne if Matt Damon is starring.
The F-22 will own it in air to air. I like the F-22 better.
The F-35 is massively cheaper than the F-22. The F-22 is an ASF (Air Superiority Fighter), the F-35 is a multi-role fighter. The dichotomy is similar to the F-15C and the F-16.
From a financial standpoint... I would hazard a guess that the cost differences have a great deal to do with the “newness” of the technology. The F-35 is benefiting from lessons learned in the design of the F-22.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.