![]() ![]() ![]() Two classified programmes ran under ASTOVL, which was always intended to produce information of value to the US and UK. That same year, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) began its Advanced Short Take-Off/Vertical Landing (ASTOVL) effort, looking to develop a supersonic successor to the Harrier. Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II embodies capabilities based on thinking developed through evolving requirements since at least 1983, when the US Navy launched its Advanced Tactical Aircraft (ATA) programme to find a stealthy replacement for the Grumman A-6 Intruder. The Lightning’s short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capability allows it to operate from the new ‘Queen Elizabeth’-class aircraft carriers and the vessels of allied nations, as well as short airstrips. The pilot is able to share information gathered by the jet with other platforms using secure data links, and/or use the information to employ weapons or electronic means. Its integrated sensors, sensor fusion and data linking provide the pilot with unprecedented situational awareness. ![]() The aircraft combines advanced sensors and mission systems with low observable technology, or ‘stealth’, which enables it to operate undetected in hostile airspace. The Lightning has advanced sensors and stealth technology. A multi-role machine, Lightning is capable of conducting air-to-surface, electronic warfare, intelligence gathering and air-to-air missions simultaneously. The Lightning is a stealth aircraft operating alongside the Typhoon. ![]()
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