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Key Points and Summary: The Lockheed Martin F-35 is a single program that delivered three unique versions of the same stealth fighter, each specifically engineered for different mission profiles.

-The F-35A is the most conventional—requiring typical runway lengths for takeoff and landing—making it the lightest and most affordable.

-The F-35B, by contrast, employs a lift fan for short-takeoff, vertical landing (STOVL) operations from austere bases and smaller ships. The F-35C, purpose-built for U.S. Navy supercarriers, features heavier landing gear, a tail hook, and bigger folding wings for lower-speed carrier operations.

-Together, these three variants ensure the F-35 remains a versatile solution across air, land, and sea.

One Fighter, Three Missions: F-35 Summed Up

The F-35 Lightning II is the most technologically advanced and capable tactical fighter in the skies today, but depending on how you look at it, it could really be considered three aircraft instead of one.

The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program that would ultimately produce the F-35 was based around the idea that a single broadly capable aircraft could fill the roles of multiple in-service platforms approaching the ends of their service lives.

Ultimately, it was decided to field three distinct variants of this new stealth fighter, each identified via one letter of the alphabet: the F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C.

F-35A – Conventional Take-Off and Landing (CTOL)

Put plainly, the F-35A is the runway queen of the group. It’s a fighter in the traditional sense, right down to requiring approximately 8,000 feet of clean and manicured runways for take-off and landing.

A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II, assigned to the 495th Fighter Squadron from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, lands for the first time at Souda Air Base, Greece, July 7, 2022. The fifth-generation aircraft will be participating in exercise Poseidon’s Rage, in an effort to bolster U.S.-Hellenic readiness and interoperability. (U.S. Air Force Photo By Tech. Sgt. Rachel Maxwell)

Because this aircraft operates like a traditional fighter, it’s the lowest-cost and lightest of the three F-35 variants.

F-35B – Short Take-Off, Vertical Landing (STOVL)

The F-35B is the most mechanically complex of the three F-35 variants, thanks in no small part to its short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capability. The F-35B was designed to be operated from austere airstrips and ocean-going vessels that are smaller than America’s supercarriers.

It can take off with just 600 feet of runway with a full payload, or even take off from a shorter runway if it can use a ramp like those found on some countries’ aircraft carriers.

The F-35B has the same basic wingspan as the F-35A, but less internal storage capacity due to a lifting fan positioned just behind the cockpit that allows the aircraft to land vertically.

F-35B VTOL. Image Credit: U.S. Military

PHILIPPINE SEA (Feb. 9, 2022) An F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) launches from the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) during joint Exercise Noble Fusion. Noble Fusion demonstrates that Navy and Marine Corps forward-deployed stand-in naval expeditionary forces can rapidly aggregate Marine Expeditionary Unit/Amphibious Ready Group teams at sea, along with a carrier strike group, as well as other joint force elements and allies, in order to conduct lethal sea-denial operations, seize key maritime terrain, guarantee freedom of movement, and create advantage for US, partner and allied forces. Naval Expeditionary forces conduct training throughout the year, in the Indo-Pacific, to maintain readiness. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Thomas B. Contant) 220209-N-BX791-1299

F-35C – Carrier Variant

The F-35C is purpose-built for carrier operations aboard America’s fleet of Nimitz- and Ford-class supercarriers.

As such, it comes equipped with heavy-duty landing gear and a tail hook for carrier landings. It also has the widest wingspan of the bunch for the sake of maintaining lower speeds during take-off and landing.

F-35C

Two F-35C’s from VFA-125 “Rough Raiders”, based at NAS Lemoore, piloted by Major Derek “Shootsbe” Heinz A/C 430 and LT Alex “MoM” Daie A/C 411, Fly Low Level around Freemont Peak near Edwards AFB, Ca., 7 May 2019. The “Rough Raiders” are a Fleet Replacement Squadron flying F-35C Lightning II.

That added wingspan also provides the F-35C with the greatest internal fuel storage of the three variants, allowing for a slightly longer combat radius.

About the Author: Alex Hollings

Alex Hollings is the editor of the Sandboxx blog and a former U.S. Marine that writes about defense policy and technology. He lives with his wife and daughter in Georgia. This first appeared in Sandboxx.