National Security Journal on MSN

Boeing’s X-32 was designed to become the F-35 — it was ugly, it couldn’t pass the Marine Corps’ STOVL tests, and Lockheed won

Before the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II became the most-produced stealth fighter in history, it had to beat Boeing’s X-32 in the Joint Strike Fighter competition — the most consequential fighter ...
Aviation Week

Second Stovl F-35 Joins Flight Testing

Lockheed Martin flew the second short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing (Stovl) F-35B Joint Strike Fighter for the first time on Feb. 25. Aircraft BF-2 will be used from conventional up-and-away flight ...
The National Interest

Why the F-35B Fighter Is the Perfect Plane for the Marine Corps

Despite radius and payload constraints, the F-35B is well-suited to meet the Marine Corps’ operational demands. Out of the three Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II variants, the F-35B, in use with the ...