THE SILENT ASSASSIN

Broadly conceived as an affordable, stealthy, replacement for the F-16, the F-35A Lightning II is a very capable fighter, but does the need for stealth compromise its ability to be a useful all-rounder?

An F-35A of the 56th FW at Luke AFB, Arizona, which serves as a training unit for the Lightning II.
Ugo Crispioni
A pair of F-35As from the USAF’s first operational unit, the 34th FS ‘Rams’ at Hill AFB, Utah.
Jamie Hunter

IT’S VERY EASY to criticize a new fighter program, especially one such as the F-35, which has rewritten the rulebook when it comes to development and production. The ‘concurrent’ nature of this program means that hundreds of Lightning IIs will be in service with a host of operators before development test work is complete, let alone formal operational test and evaluation. The F-35 program turns standard development practice on its head.

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