US based Lockheed Martin has delivered 98 F-35 Multirole Fighters in 2023, bringing the global fleet to more than 990 aircraft in the year 2023, according to a statement issued by Lockheed Martin.
The F-35 continues to demonstrate its value to the U.S. and allies, bolstering advanced 5th Generation capabilities and 21st Century Security deterrence.
About F-35 Multirole Fighters
The F-35 is a family of single-engine, supersonic, stealth multirole fighters.
The second fifth generation fighter to enter US service and the first operational supersonic STOVL stealth fighter, the F-35 emphasizes low observables, advanced avionics and sensor fusion that enable a high level of situational awareness and long-range lethality; the USAF considers the aircraft its primary strike fighter for conducting suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD) missions, owing to the advanced sensors and mission systems.
The F-35 has a wing-tail configuration with two vertical stabilizers canted for stealth.
Flight control surfaces include leading-edge flaps, flaperons, rudders, and all-moving horizontal tails (stabilators); leading edge root extensions or chines also run forwards to the inlets.
The relatively shorts 35-foot wingspan of the F-35A and F-35B is set by the requirement to fit inside USN amphibious assault ship parking areas and elevators; the F-35C’s larger wing is more fuel efficient.
The fixed diverter-less supersonic inlets (DSI) use a bumped compression surface and forward-swept cowl to shed the boundary layer of the forebody away from the inlets, which form a Y-duct for the engine.
Structurally, the F-35 drew upon lessons from the F-22; composites comprise 35% of airframe weight, with the majority being bismaleimide and composite epoxy materials as well as some carbon nanotube-reinforced epoxy in later production lots.
The F-35 is considerably heavier than the lightweight fighters it replaces, with the lightest variant having an empty weight of 29,300 lb (13,300 kg); much of the weight can be attributed to the internal weapons bays and the extensive avionics carried.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/
