Lockheed F35-A Lightning II

The F-35A Lightning II was developed from the Joint Strike Fighter program as a stealthy multirole aircraft intended to replace several older fighter and strike types. Unlike aircraft designed around one dramatic attribute, the F-35 is built around integration: sensors, data links, low observability and weapons systems working together as a networked combat platform.

It is also one of the most debated aircraft programs ever undertaken, because its ambition brought enormous cost, schedule and complexity challenges. For operators, however, the F-35A’s significance lies in its ability to collect, fuse and share information while carrying out strike and air-defence missions.