F 35 Joint Strike Fighter is the New Air Force Standard – Today, the US Congress voted to officially retire the F-22 Raptor in favor of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter or the “F-35 Lightning II”. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will take to the skies in 2011, when the phase out of the F-22 will be complete. What will the new F-35 fighter have in store for its future pilots?
The F35’s main power source is a Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, capable of pushing the Lightning II to speeds up to Mach 1.67 and a range of 1,400 nautical miles. It will include a 25 mm cannon, a bevy of air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles and a wide range of bomb capacity. While some will certainly miss the history and value of the F-22 Raptor, the F 35 Joint Strike Fighter is an ample upgrade to continue the dominance of the U.S. Armed Forces in the skies.