Just looked-up the F-35 weight specs on www.fas.org. This info might be a little ‘dated’, but the weights quoted are MUCH lower than the ones Pierre Spey is citing.
Empty weight for the F-35 (A or B) is given as (approx) 22,500-lb. I gotta believe the ‘B’ is heavier than that, but that’s their number. Add-in an internal fuel load of 15,000-lb & you have a takeoff weight of 37,500-lbs. Carrying a load of AIM-120D’s & AIM-9X’s I think that max takeoff weight would be right around 40,000-lbs (less than the engine thrust rating.)
The empty weight for the F-35C (carrier version) was given as 24,000-lb. Internal fuel load is 16,000-lb. As I said before, the ‘C’ has a broader wing to allow lower landing speeds & this is where some of the extra fuel is stored. The wing may make the ‘C’ the better dogfighter of the 3 versions.
Length 51.5 ft
Height 14.2 ft
Wingspan 35 ft
Wing area 460 sq ft
Horizontal tail span 23 ft
Weight empty 29,300 lb
Maximum weight 70,000 lb class
Internal fuel 18,000 + lbs
Speed Mach 1.6 (~1,200 mph)
Range ~1.200 n. mi
Combat radius 610 n. mi
Power plant One P&W F135 or GE F136
Engine thrust 40,000 lb (with after burner)