JSF is a multi-purpose fighter characterized by ground attack. In the future battlefield, JSF will join hands with F-22 to form a high-low collocation similar to F- 15 and F- 16. When the F-22 eliminates the threat of enemy fighters and weak ground-to-air guidance, JSF will carry missiles to carry out all-weather precision strikes on scattered ground targets. Different from F- 16, JSF has stealth ability, and can make stealth penetration like F- 1 17. The maximum flight speed of JSF is about Mach 1.5, and its maneuverability and agility are better than those of F- 16C/D and F/A- 18c. The operational radius can reach 1000- 1300 km, and the unit price is only $28-35 million, which is cheaper than F-22 and F/A-18e/F. The US military intends to replace F- 16 and Air Force A-6 with JSF.
At present, Boeing Company and Lockheed Martin Company (hereinafter referred to as Lockheed Martin Company) have both launched their own JSF proof-of-concept machines, which are called X-32 and X-35 respectively, and have entered the test flight comparison stage, from which the US military will choose one as the future JSF fighter.
From the appearance, Boeing's X-32 is very different from Loma's X-35. X-32 adopts the aerodynamic layout of tailless delta wing body fusion, V-shaped double vertical tail and abdominal air intake, and its shape is very avant-garde, like a fat duck; The X-35 has a conventional aerodynamic layout with inclined double vertical tails, which looks like a scaled-down version of the F-22. Both of them adopt stealth technology, such as engine with thrust-to-weight ratio 10, thrust vector technology, integrated avionics system, active phased array radar, weapon magazine in the aircraft, etc.
JSF is equipped with a powerful new type of aircraft gun, and the weapon warehouse in the aircraft can carry 2000 pounds of JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Ammunition). When carrying out the ground attack task, you can use your own GPS navigation and thermal imaging equipment to search, find and lock the target, and then launch the attack with JDAM. Its attack efficiency and accuracy are the same as F- 1 17.
JSF's airborne electronic equipment is very advanced. The weight of the new generation radar of this aircraft is only 1/3 of that of the F-22 radar, and the cost is only half of it, but it is more powerful. Distributed infrared sensors are installed around the fuselage, which can monitor all targets within the signal coverage at all times and transmit images to the pilot's helmet display.
JSF has excellent stealth performance. Although in the design process, the stealth performance of the aircraft is partially reduced to ensure good maintainability, its radar reflection area is only the size of a golf ball, which can completely cope with the foreseeable threats in the next 25 years. Including the attack of Russia's latest generation surface-to-air missile system S-400.
The most amazing thing is that JSF can use virtual technology to simulate the take-off and landing of F- 15, F- 16, F/A- 18 and other combat aircraft in any form, which on the one hand shortens the training time of pilots and ground crew, and on the other hand greatly reduces the training cost. Therefore, the JSF plan was welcomed by the US military from the beginning.
In order to compete for this unprecedented military aircraft development project, Boeing and Lockheed are now fighting to the death. For the winner, the US military will buy about 3,000 aircraft and help it sell another 2,000 aircraft abroad. If you add other predictable and unpredictable political and commercial interests, the whole contract is worth trillions of dollars.