U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II

America’s newest fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, will be flying in our feature show as a Heritage Flight with the P-51 Mustang “Baby Duck” for the first time ever! The Lightning II is a 5th generation fighter that combines advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility. Three distinct variants of the F-35 will be flown by the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps. The F-35A is flown by the U.S. Air Force. The F-35 will travel to Dayton from the 56th Fighter Squadron at Luke AFB, Arizona. It will be flown by Major Will “D-Rail” Andreotta.

DID YOU KNOW?

• The F-35 is the first and only stealth, supersonic, multi-role fighter jet!
• The F-35 is set to replace aging fighters including the F-16s, A-10s, F/A-18s, and AV-8B Harriers!
• The helmet mounted display system contains all the intelligence and targeting information an F-35 pilot needs to complete a mission!
• With the helmet, the pilots have the ability to look through the floor of the jet and see what is below!
• Each helmet costs $400,000!
• Nine countries are involved in the development of the F-35. They are the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Denmark, Norway, and Australia.

U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II FAST FACTS:

Engine: One Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 turbofan engine

Thrust: 43,000 pounds of thrust per engine

Wingspan: 35 feet

Length: 51 feet

Height: 14 feet

Speed: Mach 1.6+ (equivalent to approximately 1,200 MPH!)

Combat Range: 1,350 miles

Ceiling: 50,000 feet

Maximum Takeoff Weight: 70,000 pounds

Fuel Capacity: 18,498 pounds internally

Unit Cost: $128 million

Inventory: 81 in the Air Force (includes 4 international aircraft) as of October 20, 2015