Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)

With all of the orders on the books how long would it be before they actually get any F-35s delivered? Considering the performance of the Royal Saudi Air Force I think those airframes would do better in the hands of just about anyone else.
 
Luftwaffe F-35 roll out
Source: Lockheed Martin FB page
 

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helmutkohl said:
Luftwaffe F-35 roll out
Source: Lockheed Martin FB page
View attachment 824099View attachment 824100View attachment 824101
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Surprised nobody's posted this yet... There's a fair bit of exposed rivets here (for those who like to claim the F-35 has no exposed rivets), and I don't think we've ever had this good a look at some of these finer details before:

Definitely one for the archives...

https://twitter.com/x/status/2100481184690028753
View: https://x.com/LMEuropeNews/status/2100481184690028753?s=20
 
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snne said:
Surprised nobody's posted this yet... There's a fair bit of exposed rivets here (for those who like to claim the F-35 has no exposed rivets), and I don't think we've ever had this good a look at some of these finer details before:
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Look more like removable fasteners than rivets to me
 
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GTX said:
Look more like removable fasteners than rivets to me
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Yeah, I momentarily forgot what it's called -- English isn't my native language as you might have guessed :p

Edit: Wanted to add this comparison here just so that this particular post of mine actually contributes something to the topic :)
 

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I never figured the F-35 was going to see Luftwaffe service, it didn't seem like it would fill any particular role for them until the "special weapons" topic came up since apparently the Typhoon couldn't do that. Nice to see it in German markings.

In theory the IRIS-T missile shouldn't be that hard to integrate on the outer wing pylons, but considering how software development for the F-35 still manages to be a complete mess somehow, I'm guessing they're just buying AIM-9Xs.
 
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eagle said:
Not what they're doing with the F-22 LO-pylons.
Assuming they are working on a similiar solution for the F-35 is not unreasonable.
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They are not. As has been discussed many times there are aerodynamic issues with external tanks on the F-35, and no one wants to pay to solve these issues.
 
donnage99 said:
Same concern as with Turkey having Russian radar specialists lookin at detection data on the S-400 tracking Turkeys own F-35.

The Chinese and Saudi have deepening ties when it comes to military and military adjacent techs, the field of radar included
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I think its come to a point where the entire ME is going to have security relationship with both China and the US if not China Russia and the US. So either you stop selling them your most sophisticated systems like BMD, 5th / 6th gen aircraft and drones or you live with the fact that these will be shared markets. I see the same with the UAE. The decision is whether to walk away from these markets completely and let the Chinese, Russians and Europeans slice it up or to allow broader export. We're past the stage where we can exercise authority and demand that Chinese cooperation be rolled back.
 
Colonial-Marine said:
In theory the IRIS-T missile shouldn't be that hard to integrate on the outer wing pylons, but considering how software development for the F-35 still manages to be a complete mess somehow, I'm guessing they're just buying AIM-9Xs.
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They could also buy ASRAAMS from the UK.
 
donnage99 said:
Same concern as with Turkey having Russian radar specialists lookin at detection data on the S-400 tracking Turkeys own F-35.

The Chinese and Saudi have deepening ties when it comes to military and military adjacent techs, the field of radar included
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Why would we do that when we went through all the hassle of booting Turkey out?
 
JS23 said:
They could also buy ASRAAMS from the UK.
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Or just not fly the F-35A with short range missiles at all. It's a strike fighter and replaces a fighter-bomber first and foremost. It'll carry A2G ordnance most of the time and for everything else AIM-120 is good enough, which is already in stock due to the Eurofighter.
 
Speaking of the risk of F-35 secrets being exposed due to partnerships: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/18/congress-f-35-china-investigation-01083647

Hill investigates after F-35 parts diverted to Hong Kong​

Sensitive F-35 fighter jet technology was unexpectedly diverted to Hong Kong this summer, sparking an inquiry on Capitol Hill and raising the possibility that China could have access to key components of the highly classified weapon system.

A shipment of F-35 parts bound for the United States for repairs was rerouted as it transited the Pacific Ocean from Australia, according to three people familiar with the matter who were granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. The Pentagon confirmed the disappearance of some components.

The parts, which an intermediary was transporting on behalf of F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin, instead wound up in Hong Kong. It’s not clear why the equipment was rerouted or who has possession of it now.
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