Joint Strike Fighter

Multi-role fighter aircraft designed to meet the needs of all U.S. service branches. The goal of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program was to design a fighter with improved survivability, precision engagement capability, the mobility necessary for joint operations, and reduced maintenance and replacement costs.

A 1993 review of U.S. military needs determined that developing separate tactical fighters for each service was not affordable. As a result, Congress canceled the existing Multi-Role Fighter and Advanced Strike Aircraft programs. Wanting to maintain the military capability those canceled programs were to provide, military planners initiated the Joint Advanced Strike Technology effort to develop an affordable, next-generation weapons system.

The challenge for the new fighter would be to meet the requirements of all U.S. services in a single aircraft. To suit the navy's needs, the new plane had to have the ability to take off and land on an aircraft carrier. The Marine Corps wanted a plane with short- or vertical-takeoff and landing ability. The air force had fewer such technical requirements, but the new fighter had to be a significant improvement over its current multi-role fighter, the F-16.

In 2001, the U.S. Department of Defense selected the Lockheed Martin X-35 to fill the role of the JSF. The X-35 was chosen over the competing Boeing X-32 largely because of Lockheed's superior short takeoff and vertical landing design, which uses a powerful fan to assist in takeoff. Lockheed Martin developed four versions of the JSF to fulfill the needs of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and Air Force, as well as the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. The JSF will replace aging aircraft in the [Page 397]U.S. arsenal, including the air force's F-16, the navy's F-18, and the Marine Corps's AV Harrier.