Documents
United States Lockheed Martin
F-35B Lightning II
Short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35 family, using a shaft-driven lift fan to operate from amphibious assault ships and short runways. Flown by the US Marine Corps, UK, Italy and Japan.
In service since 2015 · 7 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
1,930
km/h
2,220
km range
15,240
m ceiling
6,800
kg payload
0.94
T/W
💲 ≈ $109,000,000, Lot 15-17 flyaway cost, F-35B
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
US ITAR-controlled
Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.
Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale
Fielded & proven
Established · 7 operators
In service since 2015. Status: active · ~550 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$273M – $382M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the F-35B Lightning II can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 1,930 km/h Stronger than 32% of fighters
- Max speed (Mach)
Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.
- 1.6 Mach Stronger than 13% of fighters
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 2,220 km Stronger than 26% of fighters
- Combat radius
Distance an aircraft can fly, complete its mission and return without refueling. Roughly a third of ferry range.
- 900 km Stronger than 48% of fighters
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 15,240 m Stronger than 32% of fighters
- Thrust-to-weight
Engine thrust divided by loaded weight. Above 1.0 the aircraft can accelerate going straight up.
- 0.94 Stronger than 28% of fighters
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 25 mm GAU-22/A cannon (external gun pod)
- Hardpoints
External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.
- 8 Stronger than 31% of fighters
- Weapons payload
Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.
- 6,800 kg Stronger than 44% of fighters
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
- Countermeasures
Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers.
- AN/ASQ-239 Barracuda EW suite, chaff, flares
- Signature reduction
Radar cross-section shaping, RAM coatings, IR suppression. Actual RCS values are classified.
- Very low observable airframe shaping with fiber-mat RAM; internal weapons bays
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 15.67 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 10.7 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 4.36 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 14,650 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 22,700 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 1
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-600 afterburning turbofan with lift fan
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 1
- Thrust
Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).
- 178 kN Top 5% of fighters
- Fuel capacity
Internal fuel volume.
- 6,032 L
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turbofan (STOVL, shaft-driven lift fan)
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- AN/APG-81 AESA
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- AN/AAQ-40 EOTS, AN/AAQ-37 DAS 360° IR, helmet-mounted display
- Datalink
Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement.
- MADL, Link 16
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $109,000,000 Stronger than 17% of fighters
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 550 Stronger than 74% of fighters
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 7 Stronger than 82% of fighters
Specifications compiled from public Lockheed Martin and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
Dassault Aviation Rafale F4 Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II? +
The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II has a maximum speed of 1,930 km/h.
What is the range of the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II? +
The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II has a maximum range of 2,220 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II? +
The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II can carry up to 6,800 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II weigh? +
The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II has a combat weight of 22,700 kg.
How many crew does the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II require? +
The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II requires a crew of 1.
What is the main armament of the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II? +
The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II's primary weapon is the 25 mm GAU-22/A cannon (external gun pod).
What engine does the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II use? +
The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II is powered by the Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-600 afterburning turbofan with lift fan.
What is the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II used for? +
The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II is a fighter aircraft typically used for multirole combat, air superiority, close air support, isr.
How many countries operate the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II? +
The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II is operated by 7 countries.
How much does the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II cost? +
The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II has an approximate unit cost of 109,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.
Similar systems
Saab AB
JAS 39E Gripen
Lockheed Martin
F-35A Lightning II
Lockheed Martin
F-35C Lightning II
Lockheed Martin