Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
Sign in to saveThe Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, supersonic stealth strike fighters. A multirole combat aircraft designed for air superiority and strike missions, it also has electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor, with partners Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. The aircraft has three main variants: the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A, the short take-off and vertical-landing F-35B, and the carrier variant catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery F-35C. With 883 aircraft in service as of 2025, it is the world's fourth-most-numerous military aircraft, and most-numerous stealth aircraft.
AI overview
The F-35 Lightning II is a modern American fighter jet made by Lockheed Martin that can perform multiple roles, including air combat, bombing strikes, and gathering intelligence, while using stealth technology to avoid detection. With nearly 900 aircraft already in use worldwide as of 2025, it has become one of the most widely deployed military planes in the world and represents a major shift toward stealth capabilities in modern air forces.
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Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- fighter-bomber
- Operator
- Polish Air Force
- Country of origin
- United States
- Based on
- Lockheed Martin X-35
- Developer
- Lockheed Martin
- Manufacturer
- Lockheed Martin
- Official website
- www.f35.com
- Image
- F-35 at Edwards.jpg
Article
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, supersonic stealth strike fighters. A multirole combat aircraft designed for air superiority and strike missions, it also has electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor, with partners Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. The aircraft has three main variants: the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A, the short take-off and vertical-landing F-35B, and the catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery F-35C. With 883 aircraft in service as of 2025, it is the world's fourth-most-numerous military aircraft, and most-numerous stealth aircraft.
The aircraft descends from the Lockheed Martin X-35, which in 2001 beat the Boeing X-32 to win the Joint Strike Fighter program, to replace the F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, and the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II, and others. Development was primarily funded by the United States, with additional funding from select NATO members and Australia; Turkey was removed from the program in 2019. As of April 2026, the US operates all three main variants; both F-35A and F-35B variants are operated by Italy and Japan; F-35As are operated by Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and South Korea; the F-35B is operated by the United Kingdom. Israel operates its own F-35I variant. Six further NATO members, as well as Switzerland and Singapore have also placed orders, and other countries are considering purchases.