Key Points and Summary – A rundown of the F-35’s five best qualities highlights why it’s a premier 5th-generation fighter.
-First is its exceptional stealth, with a radar cross-section compared to a golf ball.
F-35 Demonstration Team members sprint to their positions during the ground show at the Defenders of Liberty Air & Space Show at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., May 17, 2019. The team’s ground show consists of pre-flight inspections with sharp, quick-paced movements that showcase the pride and professionalism of the U.S. Air Force. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Alexander Cook)
-Second is its diversified payload, including its certification as the first stealth fighter to carry nuclear weapons.
-Third is its versatility, with three distinct variants for the Air Force, Marines (STOVL), and Navy (carrier).
-Fourth are its advanced avionics and electronic warfare capabilities.
-Finally, its interoperability allows it to seamlessly share data with allied F-35s, acting as a massive force multiplier.
The F-35: The Best 5th Generation Fighter on Earth
For all of the controversies surrounding its expense and somewhat limited range, the F-35 Lightning II is nonetheless an excellent warplane, the crème de la crème of 5th Generation stealth fighters, and the pride and joy of Lockheed Martin’s esteemed Skunk Works division.
Accordingly, National Security Journal now does a rundown of the F-35’s Top 5 qualities.
Attribute #1: Stealth
Well, this one sounds like a no-brainer. It’s rather difficult for the enemy to kill you if they can’t even detect you.
The Lightning II features a minimal radar cross-section (RCS) coated in radar-absorbent materials to reduce the chance of being detected. Just how minimal?
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, performs a strafing run during Haboob Havoc, April 24, 2024, over Barry M. Goldwater Range, Arizona. Haboob Havoc is a total force exercise that provides a way for pilots from various bases to demonstrate their skills across a diverse range of aircraft, including F-35 Lightning IIs, F-16 Fighting Falcons, and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, while also testing their abilities in different mission sets such as dogfighting and gun runs. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mason Hargrove)
According to the Indian Defense Research Wing military website (via Amber Wang of the South China Morning Post [SMCP]), the Lightning II has a radar cross-section (RCS) of about 15 square centimeters (2.325 inches), “about the size of a golf ball.”
Attribute #2: Diversified Weapons Payload
Ability to avoid being killed is all well and good, but for a fighter and/or a bomber (as opposed to, say, a purely intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance [ISR]v platform like the U-2 “Dragon Lady” or the SR-71 Blackbird), that’s almost meaningless without the flip side of that, i.e. the ability to be the killer.
And though it doesn’t have the pure air superiority capabilities that its fellow Skunk Works stealth fighter, the F-22 Raptor, does, the Lightning II is blessed with a smorgasbord of weapons systems accommodations that enable it to be a killer against aerial and ground adversaries alike.
Two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft, with the F-35 Demonstration Team, approach a U.S. Air Force KC-135 for in-flight refueling en route to their next airshow at Pensacola, Florida, on 28 October, 2024. The F-35 Demo Team travels to various bases to showcase the capabilities of the most advanced 5th generation fighter aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Rupiper)
As noted by Shane Schmid of SlashGear in an April 6, 2024, article: “When evaluating the F-35, it’s impossible not to point out its advantages in terms of aerial ordnance. With a weapons payload of up to 18,000 pounds, this aircraft can carry a host of destructive options, including air-to-air missiles, a hidden 25mm Gatling gun(F-35A), an external cannon (F-35B and F-35C), and several bombs. This fighter has a hidden internal bay, which can hold nearly 6,000 pounds of obliterating ordinance.”
Moreover, Mr. Schmid adds, “As if that wasn’t enough, the F-35 has also become the first-ever stealth jet fighter sanctioned to carry a nuclear bomb. To be precise, the F-35 can carry two B61-12 nuclear gravity bombs.”
In other words, even though the Lightning II is designated a stealth *fighter*, it can also drop nukes just like America’s stealth *bomber*, the B-2 Spirit.
Attribute #3: Versatility
“Flexibility is the key to airpower,” quoth the famous dictum by early 20th-century Italian airpower theorist General Giulio Douhet, and going hand-in-hand with the attribute of flexibility is that of versatility.
The F-35 demonstrates its versatility via its variants that meet the differing needs of the different branches of the U.S. Armed Forces:
-The F-35A is the U.S. Air Force variant, which operates off of traditional land-based runways.
-The F-35B is the U.S. Marine Corps variant, providing the devil dogs with their much-desired short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capability, just like the Corps’ longtime stalwart Harrier jump jets.
-Last but not least, the F-35C is the U.S. Navy’s variant, able to operate off of aircraft carriers thanks to heavy-duty landing gear and a tail hook
Attribute #4: Electronic Warfare (EW) and Avionics Package
Such as:
-Distributed Aperture System (DAS) and a suite of mounted infrared cameras, which translates into large touchscreens and a helmet-mounted display system that enabled the pilot to look directly through the aircraft to see real-time information.
–Northrop Grumman AN/APG-81 system active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, a robust electronic countermeasures (ECM) function which, as noted by its manufacturer’s official info page, “provides unparalleled battlespace situational awareness that translates into lethality, aircrew effectiveness and survivability.”
-Integration of the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER)—which in turn is the latest & greatest version of High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM)—thus enabling the F-35 to not only evade enemy air defenses but destroy them for good measure.
Attribute #5: Interoperability
During a September 2024 speaking engagement with the Australian Returned and Services League (RSL) Washington DC Sub Branch, Air Commodore (AIRCDRE) Angus Porter, the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF’s) then-Air Attaché to Australian Embassy in Washington, DC, praised the Joint Strike Fighter’s (JSF’s) interoperability and ability to communicate with the JSFs of foreign allies, even the non-English-speaking nations in the Indo-Pacific region, such as the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) and Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF).
AIRCDRE Porter summed up the RAAF’s sentiments toward the F-35 in these three words: “We love them!”
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He is also the author of the newly published book “Five Decades of a Fabulous Firearm: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Beretta 92 Pistol Series.”
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