The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program also knows as the F-35 Lighting II program, formerly the Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) Program, is the Department of Defense's focal point for defining affordable next generation strike aircraft weapon systems for the Navy, Air Force, Marines, and our allies. The focus of the program is affordability -- reducing the development cost, production cost, and cost of ownership of the JSF family of aircraft.
The JSF will fulfill stated Service needs as follows:
- U. S. Navy First day of war, survivable strike fighter aircraft to complement F/A-18E/F
- U.S. Air Force Multirole aircraft (primary-air-to-ground) to replace the F-16 and A-10 and complement the F/A-22
- U.S. Marine Corps STOVL aircraft to replace the AV-8B and F/A-18 as their only strike fighter
- United Kingdom Royal Navy & Royal Air Force STOVL aircraft to replace Sea Harriers & GR.7s as a supersonic strike fighter
- Other Countries Potential JSF customers include current operators of F-16, F/A-18, and AV-8B
Prior to the start of System Design and Development (SDD) in Fall 2001, the program facilitated the Services' development of fully validated, affordable operational requirements, and it lowered risk by investing in and demonstrating key leveraging technologies and operational concepts. Upon SDD contract award to Lockheed Martin on 26 October 2001, the program embarked on full development of three affordable and effective JSF variants.
