Stealth Capability with Vertical Takeoff and Landing... A Closer Look at the US Latest Fighter Jet F-35B

Participation in ROK-US Joint Air Exercise 'Vigilant Storm'
Piercing Enemy Air Defense and Vertical Takeoff and Landing Like a Helicopter

US F-35B fighter jet landed at Gunsan Base. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Amid the large-scale joint air exercise 'Vigilant Storm,' involving over 240 US and South Korean military aircraft, attention is focused on the 'F-35B,' one of the United States' latest stealth fighters.

According to the US 7th Air Force Command in Korea on the 1st, four F-35B aircraft operated by the US Marine Corps' 242nd Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA-242) landed at Gunsan Air Base.

The F-35B is the US Marine Corps version of the US 5th generation fighter F-35. According to Lockheed Martin in 2019, the flyaway cost of the aircraft was approximately $103 million (about 112 billion KRW) per unit. This price is based on the 14th Low-Rate Initial Production batch. The actual purchase price, including additional performance options, is much higher.

The F-35B boasts high stealth capabilities that allow it to penetrate enemy air defenses and conduct operations, and it features vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability. VTOL aircraft take off and land vertically like a helicopter but fly horizontally like an airplane.

It is designed to take off from a standstill without runway acceleration and to land immediately at a hovering point in the air, enabling it to operate not only from land but also from aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships. This makes it an all-weather fighter capable of precision strikes against enemy targets in the air, on land, and at sea.

Its length and wingspan are 15.7 meters and 10.7 meters respectively, with a top speed of Mach 1.6 (1.6 times the speed of sound) and a range of about 1,670 km (distance flown until fuel exhaustion after takeoff). It is armed with AIM-120C/D air-to-air missiles and GBU-32 JDAM guided bombs.

Air-to-air missiles use their own radar to guide and hit targets, with the fighter's radar (RADAR) guiding the missile to the target. Guided bombs refer to rocket weapons equipped with guidance systems to strike targets.

In this 'Vigilant Storm' exercise, the South Korean Air Force is participating with over 140 aircraft, including F-35A, F-15K, KF-16 fighters, and KC-330 aerial refueling tankers. The US Air Force has deployed about 100 aircraft, including the F-35B, EA-18 electronic warfare aircraft, U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance planes, and KC-135 aerial refueling tankers. The Royal Australian Air Force is also participating, planning to deploy one KC-30A aerial refueling tanker.

These forces, previously stationed at the US military base in Iwakuni, Japan, have deployed to South Korea to participate in Vigilant Storm, which began on October 31 and will continue until the 4th. The US 7th Air Force stated, "As part of the annual joint and combined fighter training of the US Pacific Air Forces Command, these 5th generation fighters share Korean airspace with the US 8th Fighter Wing and the Republic of Korea Air Force's 38th Fighter Wing."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.