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F-35 / JSF
Type	Multirole fighter
Manufacturer	Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Northrop Grumman BAE Systems
Status	Under development / pre-production
Cost	$48 million to $63 million

The F-35 or Joint Strike Fighter (in the UK) is the spams answer to the harrier but with a few added features like stealth and super-sonic Capability.

[edit] UK involvement

The UK became increasingly frustrated by a lack of US commitment to grant access to the technology that would allow the UK to maintain and upgrade its F-35s without US involvement. This is understood to relate mainly to the software for the aircraft. For five years, British officials sought an ITAR waiver to secure greater technology transfer.

This request, which has the blessing of the Bush administration, has been repeatedly blocked by US Representative Henry Hyde, who says that the UK needs to tighten its laws protecting against the unauthorized transfer of the most advanced US technology to third parties.

[edit] Specifications

• General characteristics
  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 50 ft 6 in (15.37 m)
  • Wingspan: 35 ft 0 in (10.65 m)
  • Height: 17 ft 4 in (5.28 m)
  • Wing area: 459.6 ft² (42.7 m²)
  • Empty weight: 26,000 lb (12,000 kg)
  • Loaded weight: 44,400 lb (20,100 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 60,000 lb (27,200 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney F135 afterburning turbofan
  • Dry thrust: 25,000 lbf[56] (111 kN)
  • Thrust with afterburner: >40,000 lbf (178 kN)
  • Secondary Powerplant: 1× General Electric/Rolls-Royce F136 afterburning turbofan, >40,000 lbf (178 kN) (in development)
  • Lift fan (STOVL): 1× Rolls-Royce Lift System driven from either F135 or F136 power plant, 18,000 lbf (80 kN)
• Performance
  • Maximum speed: Mach 1.6+[56] (1,200 mph, 1,931 km/h)
  • Range: A: 1,200 nmi; B: 900 nm; C: 1400 nm (A: 2,200 km; B: 1,667 km; C: 2,593 km) on internal fuel
  • Combat radius: 600 nmi (690 mi, 1,110 km)
  • Rate of climb: classified (not publicly available)
  • Wing loading: 91.4 lb/ft² (446 kg/m²)