The F-35 Lighting II stealth fighter jet is the most advanced combat aircraft in operation right now. 

But to get there hasn’t been easy or cheap. With a projected cost over its lifetime of approximately $1.7 trillion and years in the making, the F-35 Lighting II is a big investment for the United States military and its counterparts. 

So, how is the program progressing? What milestones has it achieved recently?

Milestones in the F-35 Program 

As of January, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program has achieved quite a lot. 

More than 990 aircraft of all three versions have been delivered to air forces around the world. The operational fleet has logged over 773,000 hours of flight in about 469,000 training and operational sorties. In terms of training, almost 2,300 pilots have qualified to fly the stealth fighter jet, and close to 15,500 maintainers have qualified to service and support the aircraft. 

Right now, the program is comprised of 17 participants (Italy, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Norway, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Belgium, Poland, Singapore, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States), though several others (for example, the Czech Republic and Greece) are waiting for the green light to join in. Out of the current participants, 14 services are flying the aircraft, 12 have declared initial operating capability, and there are eight operational missions by service.

Overall, the 17 participants have ordered close to 3,500 aircraft of all three types. The F-35A is by far the most popular, with 2,558 orders, followed by the F-35B with 575 orders, and by the F-35C with 340 orders. As far as the largest individual customer, the U.S. military alone has ordered almost 2,500 F-35s for the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. 

As for the F-35B and F-35C versions of the stealth fighter jet that can operate from aircraft carriers and amphibious ships, 12 warships in the U.S. Navy, Royal Navy, and Italian Navy have been activated to support the advanced aircraft; nine additional warships are slotted to qualify for F-35 operations by 2028.

The F-35 Lighting II 

The F-35 Lighting II is a fifth-generation, multi-role fighter jet that can conduct several different mission sets. 

There are three versions of the aircraft: The F-35A is the conventional iteration; the F-35B is the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) type that can take off and land like a helicopter; and the F-35C is the aircraft carrier version of the stealth fighter jet. 

In terms of mission sets, the F-35 Lighting II can conduct competently Air Superiority, Close Air Support, Strategic Attack, Electronic Warfare, Intelligence Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, and Suppression Enemy Air Defense (SEAD)/Destruction Enemy Air Defenses (DEAD). 

Besides its stealth capabilities, performance, and advanced weaponry, it is the F-35’s sensors that make the fighter jet so valuable to the joint force. Its AN/APG-81 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and other sensors allow the F-35 Lighting II to act as a quarterback, guiding friendly aircraft, warships, smart munitions, and ground troops to a threat with precision. 

About the Author 

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP. Email the author: [email protected].

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