Lockheed Martin X-35

Lockheed Martin · United States · first flew 2000 · fighter

The X-35 was Lockheed Martin's winning demonstrator in the Joint Strike Fighter competition, the direct ancestor of the F-35 Lightning II.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × turbofan, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	large ventral engine intake on a sleek, faceted fuselage
T — Tail	Twin fin

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

single engine with twin canted vertical tails
large ventral engine intake on a sleek, faceted fuselage
X-35B STOVL variant has a distinctive lift-fan door behind the cockpit

A single engine with twin canted vertical tails and a sleek, faceted fuselage; the X-35B variant is identifiable by the lift-fan door just behind the cockpit.

Specifications

The Lockheed Martin X-35 has a length of 15.39 m (50 ft).
It has a wingspan of 10.06 m (33 ft).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in 2000, the X-35 was built in conventional, carrier and short-takeoff/vertical-landing versions to prove a single airframe could meet all three US services' needs, beating the Boeing X-32 to become the basis for the F-35 program.

Variants

Flown as the X-35A/C conventional and carrier demonstrators and the X-35B STOVL demonstrator, which used a shaft-driven lift fan for vertical flight.

Where you'll see it

Retired after the JSF competition was won; the type never entered production itself, but its design became the F-35.

Related aircraft

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