Posted on 07/07/2006 10:05:47 AM PDT by HonkyTonkMan
WASHINGTON, July 7 (Reuters) - The stealthy F-35 Joint Strike Fighter being developed by the United States and eight other countries is to be named the "Lightning II," in homage to two earlier fighters.
The supersonic F-35 is being built by a team led by Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) at a cost of $276 billion. It is the costliest U.S. weapons program ever.
"The F-35 Lightning II will be the centerpiece of airpower in the 21st century for America and our allies," Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England said in a statement on Friday.
Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed is the prime contractor developing three variants of the single-engine plane.
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley announced the name at Lockheed's Fort Worth, Texas plant, saying it represented the fruit of over a hundred years of flight and aerial combat.
The F-35's name echoes that of the sleek World War Two-era Lockheed P-38 Lightning, which scored the most aerial victories of any U.S. fighter in the Pacific. Designed as a high-altitude interceptor, the twin-propellor P-38 was also used for dive bombing, level bombing, ground strafing and photo reconnaissance.
English Electric, which later become BAE Systems (BA.L: Quote, Profile, Research), built a supersonic twin-engined jet in the mid-1950s that was also called Lightning. It could reach speeds of 1,500 miles per hour and remained in service until 1988.
"The F-35 Lightning II will carry on the legacy of two of the greatest and most capable fighter aircraft of all time," said Ralph Heath, president of Lockheed's aeronautics unit.
Britain's BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) are Lockheed's key subcontractors on the F-35 program.
Partner countries on the new fighter are Britain, which has committed $2 billion to the effort, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Australia, Norway, Denmark and Canada.
The United States and its partners last month agreed in principle to a long-term plan for how many fighters they would buy, but they are still working out details of a technology-transfer plan crucial to completion of the deal.
The draft pact includes statements of intent by the non-U.S. countries to buy a total 710 planes. The United States plans to buy 2,443, the first of which is due to be delivered to the U.S. Air Force in 2009.
The F-35 is designed to replace a wide range of existing aircraft, including the AV-8B Harriers, A-10s, F-16s, F/A-18 Hornets and Britain's Harrier GR.7s. The first F-35 is due to have its inaugural flight later this year.
Good thing we have the F-22 just in case any of our allies try to turn against us.
I thought that Lightning II was the original name of the A-10 Warthog and then the F-22 Raptor....
F-35 Lightning II ping!
The A-10 was the thunderbolt
Yeah, the F22 had that potential name for a bit.
Looks like someone high up really wants to use that name!
WW2 P-38 Lightning
warthog was the thunderbolt 2, as in the "successor" to the p-47.
My Grandpa was a line mechanic and later chief on P-38.
What a let down I wanted crusader. :)
Psst: We've lifted the ban on selling the F-22, although nobody has bought one yet.
No "we" haven't.
I wanted Hellcat II.
I'm sure the pilots will come up with a name as well.
Not yet. Congress is debating on selling it to Japan or not.I think the F-22 needs to be US only and we export the other planes in our arsenal.
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