F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program: Background, Status, and Issues

Abstract

The Defense Department's F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is one of three aircraft modernization programs in tactical aviation, the others being the Air Force F-22A fighter and the Navy F/A-18E/F fighter/attack plane. In November 1996, the Defense Department selected two major aerospace companies, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, to demonstrate competing designs for the JSF, a joint-service and multi-role fighter/attack plane. Lockheed Martin won this competition and was selected to develop and produce the JSF, a family of aircraft including conventional take-off and landing (CTOL), carrier-capable (CV), and short take-off vertical landing (STOVL) versions for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, the United Kingdom, as well as other allied services. Originally designated the Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) program, the JSF program has attracted considerable attention in Congress because of concerns about its cost, effects on the defense industrial base, and implications for U.S. national security in the 21st century.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 29, 2008
Accession Number
ADA486544

Entities

People

  • Anthony Murch
  • Christopher Bolkcom

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerial Warfare
  • Air Force
  • Aircraft Industry
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Attack Aircraft
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Military Aircraft
  • National Security
  • Navy
  • Procurement
  • Short Takeoff Aircraft
  • Tactical Aircraft
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Naval Engineering and Maritime Security

Technology Areas

  • Space