science

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II rather than just read about it. In short: 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.

Key takeaways

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

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, 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-35As and F-35Bs are operated by Italy and Japan; F-35As are operated by Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and South Korea; and F-35Bs are 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. The program has drawn criticism for its unprecedented size, complexity, ballooning costs, and delayed deliveries, partially caused by low rate initial production during its development. As of 2024, the program is expected to cost US$2 trillion through 2088, about half of which is due to inflation. As of 2024, the average flyaway cost excluding the engine is: F-35A, $82.5 million; F-35B, $109 million; and F-35C, $102.1 million. An F135 engine costs $20.4 million as of 2025. The F-35 first flew in 2006; its variants entered US service in 2015 (Marine Corps F-35B), 2016 (Air Force F-35A), and 2019 (Navy F-35C). The F-35 first saw combat in the 2018 Israeli strikes in Syria, the F-35B in 2018 by US strikes in Afghanistan, and the F-35C in 2024 in US strikes in Yemen. F-35s have since been used in combat by the US in Iraq, Iran (2025 and 2026), and Venezuela; by Israel in Gaza, Iraq, Iran (2025 and 2026), Lebanon, and Yemen; and by the UK in Iraq and Syria. F-35As can deliver two US B61 nuclear bombs, including those deployed in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Belgium, Germany, Italy, and the UK plan to buy nuclear-capable F-35As; Israel's F-35Is may be able to deliver Israeli nuclear weapons. The US plans to buy 2,456 F-35s through 2044, which will represent the bulk of its crewed fixed-wing tactical aviation for several decades; the aircraft is to be a cornerstone of NATO and US-allied air power and operate until 2088.

Development

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Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

In research: Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2000s United States fighter aircraft, Aircraft first flown in 2006, Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II in simple terms?

Why does Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.