The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a fifth-generation multirole stealth fighter aircraft designed for various roles, including air superiority, ground attack, and reconnaissance.
The cockpit of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is designed to provide the pilot with advanced situational awareness and streamlined access to critical information and controls.
The F-35 Lightning II is powered by a single turbofan engine manufactured by Pratt & Whitney, known as the F135. This allows the F-35 to achieve supersonic speeds and maintain high maneuverability. Three-Bearing Swivel Module allows the engine exhaust nozzle to swivel downward for vertical thrust during hover and landing.
The F-35 has a tricycle-type landing gear configuration, consisting of two main landing gear assemblies located under the wings and a nose landing gear located under the forward fuselage. The main landing gear assemblies retract into bays in the fuselage during flight to minimize aerodynamic drag and enhance stealth characteristics.
This is the heart of the LiftSystem, located behind the cockpit. The LiftFan is essentially a large, powerful fan that generates additional vertical lift during the aircraft's hover and vertical flight modes.
Located in the rear of the aircraft, this component directs engine exhaust flow for horizontal flight and conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) modes.
The F-35 features twin vertical stabilizers (tail fins) as well as two horizontal stabilizers (tailplanes), mounted at the rear of the aircraft. These stabilizers primarily serve to provide directional stability and control during flight.
The wings of the F-35 are carefully shaped and coated to minimize radar cross-section (RCS), reducing the aircraft's detectability by enemy radar systems. The swept-wing design helps reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency during supersonic and subsonic flight.
It can carry a wide range of weapons to adapt different mission requirements. It features two internal weapons bays (one on each side of the fuselage) that can accommodate a mix of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.