Led by the US, with participation from global partners, the F-35 Lightning II programme is truly collaborative, aimed at delivering a stealthy, multi-role attack aircraft capable of operating from land and sea to nations across the globe.
The programme is delivering three variants of the aircraft, the Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL), the Carrier Variant (CV) and the Short Take Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL), to meet customers’ individual needs.
As a key partner to Lockheed Martin, we hold a 13-15% workshare of each aircraft and we play a major role in the programme across multiple markets.
Design and development
Our decades of experience in short take-off and vertical landing from our Harrier aircraft informed the technology behind the F-35, and we are the lead design authority on crucial capabilities including the fuel system, crew escape and life support system.
For the United Kingdom, our engineering teams work alongside our partners on flight testing and weapons integration work.
Production
The rear fuselage of every F-35 in the global fleet is built at our advanced manufacturing and assembly facilities in the UK. We manufactured our first rear fuselage in 2005 and in 2023 marked delivery of the 1000th component to Lockheed Martin.
We manufacture vertical and horizontal tails for the F-35 in the UK, with contributions from our industrial partners in Canada and Australia.
We are world leaders in electronic warfare capability and our engineers in the US provide the electronic warfare suite for the F-35. The systems provide maximum situational awareness, helping the pilot to identify, monitor, analyse, and respond to potential threats.
Our team in the UK provide the Active Interceptor Systems which the pilot uses to direct and manoeuvre the aircraft.
We have developed high-tech management computers which control the life-cycle costs of the jet and we deliver micro-sensors which warn aircraft inspectors of the risk of corrosion in hard-to-reach parts of the aircraft, reducing the need for costly inspections and driving affordability for our customers.
Integration and operations
We work alongside armed forces including the UK Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, and US Navy using our simulation facilities to ensure our customers’ forces gain experience operating the aircraft during live simulated maritime scenarios, involving the Queen Elizabeth Class carrier.
In Australia, we are supporting the integration of the F-35 into the Australian Defence Force, ensuring the aircraft achieves maximum operational effectiveness.
Sustainment
We have a proven track record of delivering sustainment on world-leading combat aircraft and we are part of the global sustainment network set up to support the growing F-35 fleet.
In the UK, we played a leading role in establishing RAF Marham and today we lead an industry team delivering maintenance and training on the base.
In April 2023 it was announced that we will continue to serve as the primary subcontractor to Lockheed Martin as part of the industry team delivering air crew, ground crew and mission planning training; technical and operational support; IT support; supply chain management and expertise; and maintenance capabilities.
Our team in Australia is responsible for airframe maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade of the F-35 fleet in the Southern Pacific region, with our depot in Williamtown supporting F-35 aircraft operating in the region.