It is almost certain that irrespective of which aircraft is finally selected in the MMRCA deal, India will have to fork out close to or even more than the recurring per flyaway unit price being quoted for the F-35. The IAF could exercise its choice when it reaches the stage of replacing its current fleets such as the MiG-27, MiG-29s or the Jaguars.

Unfazed by the temporary grounding of the F-35 Lightning-II, the United States Air Force (USAF) officially inducted the joint strike fighter (JSF) into service on August 26 at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The official unveiling of the F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter was labeled as a “historic occasion” by Air Force officials hosting the ceremony at the 33rd Fighter Wing which is gearing up to train pilots and ground crew on the USAF’s brand new fifth generation fighter. Eulogising the F-35, General Edward Rice, Air Education and Training Command Commander and host of the milestone event called it the beginning of a new era for the USAF which will eventually have 95 per cent of its combat jet fighter inventory comprising the JSF.

The Lockheed Martin led F-35 JSF programme, which has been in the making for the last 15 years, could easily earn the sobriquet of ‘mother of all fighter programmes’ owing not only to its magnitude or its ambitiousness, but also to the vast array of complexities connected with various phases of design and development. The JSF programme is indeed unique as it was created to replace not one but a large variety of different aircraft on the inventories of the US armed forces with derivatives of just a single type. The F-35 JSF is well-poised to bring new capabilities to not only the USAF, US Navy and US Marine Corps, but also to some of the leading air forces in the world. Apart from the US, the F-35 programme has eight partners—UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Australia, Norway, Denmark and Canada. Israel and Singapore also joined the programme as security cooperative participants. The F-35 is perhaps the only aircraft in the world designed and developed from the beginning in vastly different variants to suit the multifarious needs of its various users. Three major variants comprise the F-35A for conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) operations, the F-35B for short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) and the F-35C (CV).

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Variants

F-35A: The F-35A is the CTOL variant intended for the US Air Force and other air forces. It is the smallest, lightest F-35 version and is the only variant equipped with an internal cannon, the 25mm GAU-22/A. The F-35A is expected to match the F-16 in manoeuvrability, instantaneous and sustained high performance, and outperform it in stealth, payload, and range on internal fuel, avionics operational effectiveness, supportability and survivability. In the USAF, the A variant is primarily intended to replace the F-16 Fighting Falcons, and later the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft.

F-35B: The F-35B is the STOVL variant. The F-35B is similar in size to the F-35A, trading fuel volume for vertical flight systems. The F-35’s main power plant is derived from Pratt & Whitney’s F119 or GE/Rolls-Royce team’s F136, with the STOVL variant of the latter incorporating a Rolls-Royce lift fan module. The F-35B uses a vectoring cruise nozzle in the tail, that is, the rear exhaust turns to deflect thrust down, and an innovative shaft-driven lift fan within the fuselage, located forward of the main engine, to maintain balance in vertical flight. This variant is intended to replace the later derivatives of the Harrier Jump Jet, which was the first operational short take-off vertical landing fighter aircraft. The Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy were to use this variant to replace the Harrier GR7/GR9s. The US Marine Corps will use the F-35B to replace its AV-8B Harrier II fighters.

F-35C: The F-35C carrier variant has been equipped with a larger, folding wing and larger control surfaces for improved low-speed control, and a stronger landing gear for the stresses of carrier landings. The larger wing area provides decreased landing speed, increased range and payload, with twice the range on internal fuel compared with the F/A-18C Hornet, achieving much the same goal as the heavier F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The US Navy intends to replace its F/A-18A, Band C Hornets with F-35Cs. It will also serve as a stealthier complement to the Super Hornet.