F35-Fighter

As combat drones continue to move from the laboratory to the battlefield, the US Navy is exploring how to use a digitally simulated F-35 Lightning II aircraft to develop new tactics to go with the new technology.

On December 26, 2024, in broad daylight, China took to the skies with the test flights of two presumed sixth-generation delta-wing fighter jets. The more documented of the two, the Chengdu delta-wing craft, has been tentatively identified as the J-36.

Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II is the most expensive military fighter plane ever produced at US$109 million per craft plus $6.6 million in annual operational costs – and the helmet you need to fly it is one of the most impressive features.

Ever since the F-22 was introduced in 2005, it's been recognized as one of the most capable fighter planes in the world. However, it isn't very good at directly sharing data with anything other than other F-22s. Project Hydra is changing that.

In a recent test of two major US defense initiatives, an F-35A Lightning II has dropped a mock refurbished B61-12 nuclear bomb for the first time. The bomb was released from an internal bay while the stealth fighter was flying at supersonic speed.

15 years in the making, Australia's new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter made a big splash at the 2017 Australian International Air Show and Aerospace & Defence Expo. Enjoy our huge photo gallery from the event as it opens to the public today.

After the first vertical landing of the F-35B in 2011 and its first night-time vertical landing in April of this year, the two feats have been combined in the first night-time vertical landing at sea of the short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.

Lockheed Martin has select ed BAE Systems to develop substitute flight helmet for the F-35 program.

The F-35B Joint Strike Fighter has successfully completed it first at-sea vertical landing.

Eglin Air Force Base's 33rd Fighter Wing has taken delivery of the first F-35 Lightning II Full Mission Simulator (FMS) system that is surely the ultimate toy for hardcore flight sim fans.

The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant has broken the sound barrier for the first time.

Russia has announced the test flight of its first fifth-generation fighter aircraft, the PAKFA T-50.