X-35: Progenitor to the F-35 Lightning II

The Lockheed Martin X-35 Concept Demonstrator Aircraft was the winning contender in the international Joint Strike Fighter program, which led to X-35 and rival Boeing X-32, both of which were demonstrated in 2000/2001, with the prize being nothing less than domination of the production of 5th generation combat aircraft for the United States and many other countries for the next few decades. The JSF program, which spawned the X-35, was borne out a number of different research programs conducted in the 1980’s and 1990’s. A number of programs were combined to form a core program to replace a number of different legacy aircraft types on both sides of the Atlantic. The X-35 would be further developed into the F-35 Lightning II 5th generation strike fighter, formerly known as the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter), entering service with air forces on both sides of the Atlantic. This volume details the genesis of the Joint Strike Fighter program and describes the development, manufacture and flight testing of all three variants of the X-35: the X-35A conventional take-off and landing; X-35B short take off and vertical landing and the X-35C aircraft carrier variant, along with an overview of the rival Boeing X-32 design. Chronologies detail the flight test program of the Lockheed Martin X-35 and the Boeing X-32 aircraft.