Geostrategic Media Political Commentary, Analysis, Security, Defense
By Amanda Macias
Business Insider
America’s most expensive weapons system ever built is on track for “initial combat use” by September 2016.
Business Insider recently toured Lockheed Martin’s massive production facility in Fort Worth, Texas, where the three F-35 Lightning II variant aircrafts are designed and manufactured.
The $400 billion and counting F-35 program has so far delivered 140 of the anticipated 2,443 jets to the US Department of Defense and five aircraft to foreign military buyers.
Here is a look at the unique capabilities of the F-35 variant aircraft:
Lockheed Martin/Amanda Macias/Business Insider
The lightest of the jets is the F-35A:
Lockheed Martin/Amanda Macias/Business Insider
The F-35B is in the middle at 14.3 feet tall and weighs 32,300 pounds.
The F-35C is the tallest and the heaviest:
Lockheed Martin/Amanda Macias/Business Insider
The F-35A and F-35B have the same wingspan and nearly the same length:
Lockheed Martin/Amanda Macias/Business InsiderF-35A
Designed for the Navy, the F-35C features longer wings to create drag for the jet to slowly land on aircraft carriers:
Lockheed Martin/Amanda Macias/Business Insider
The F-35C has another unique wing design:
Lockheed Martin/Amanda Macias/Business Insider
The F-35A is the only variant aircraft that has an internal gun; aside from that, the jets have similar designs:
Lockheed Martin/Amanda Macias/Business Insider
