F-35 A Trillion Dollar Failure?

The F-35 in the past decade had been written off that it was another military procurement failure for its expensive cost overruns, but I would argue that the 1.7 trillion dollars estimated life cycle cost is a great deal for what the future of warfare holds. The F-35 has achieved this goal through the use of integrated software, advanced avionics, improved sensors, as well as stealth capabilities. There is no other jet that can do what the F-35 does. This fighter aircraft achieves all of this while being able to carry more fuel, maintain stealth with interior weapon bays, and give the pilots ease of use to employ themselves effectively in the future of warfare. The F-35 program accomplished this by building one airframe for 3 different jets for the Marine Corps, the Navy, and the Airforce. The F-35 also implements an extensive use of advanced radar and sensing to maintain stealth and accurately relay information to deliver its own weapons systems effectively. 

 

The F-35 massively out classes previous fourth-generation fighters. The F-35 operates with a very low radar cross-section, so it appears as the size of a bumble bee on enemy radars which makes search and tracking to engage it with anti-air missiles extremely difficult. The F-35 uses these capabilities combined with the ability to use sensors to get a wide view of the battlefield and engage effectively. The most important element is its sensors that offer advanced radar tracking, jamming, and imaging. The F-35 radar offers advanced jamming capabilities combined with advanced targeting systems allowing it to maintain situational awareness. Furthermore, advanced missiles allow this aircraft to have unmatched air dominance. These advanced abilities allow the f-35 pilot to operate its weaponry with the least amount of distraction while maintaining the highest level of situational awareness to accomplish the mission. All these capabilities make the F-35 an ideal plane for the military while at a reasonable cost.