[Supersonic STOVL fighter jet taking the world by storm]
- The F-35 Lightning II is a multi-role fighter jet developed based on a plan to consolidate various tactical aircraft operated by the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps into one type of aircraft and its derivatives.
- Three types of F-35 were developed at the same time: F-35A for the Air Force, F-35B for the Marine Corps, and F-35C for the Navy, but the F-35B is the most ambitious type.
- The F-35B, which was developed as a successor to the AV-8B Harrier II operated by the Marine Corps, has a lift fan installed between the cockpit and engine and a 3-bearing rotating duct that allows the direction of the engine nozzle to be changed.・The nozzle enables short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL).
- Additionally, it has supersonic flight capabilities, stealth, and high situational awareness through sensor fusion.
- Due to the characteristics of launching and conducting missions mainly from light aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, most adopting countries have ships equipped with flight decks, and as of 2023, the United Kingdom, which operates the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier, Italy, which operates the aircraft carrier Cavour, has introduced the F-35B for both its air force and navy, and deployment is underway.
- And the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force also decided to introduce the F-35B.
- Deployment will proceed from 2024 onwards, and it is scheduled to be installed and operated on Maritime Self-Defense Force ships.
- In addition, the F-35B's excellent STOVL performance is useful not only on ships but also at airfields with short runway distances, so many countries other than the four countries mentioned above are considering introducing it.
[Model details]
- This is a plastic model assembly kit of the F-35B Lightning II short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) type for the Marine Corps.
- 1/48 scale, total length 325mm, total width 222mm.
- You can choose one of three types to assemble: parked state (normal takeoff and landing state), short takeoff state, and vertical landing state.
- The radar wave absorbing material (RAM) coating applied to the entire surface of the aircraft is reproduced with a delicate mold.
-Engine duct and nozzle have parts with different angles for each of the three forms.
- The engine nozzle is divided into 5 parts, achieving both sharp shape and detail.
- Parts of the moving blade are prepared in raised and lowered states.
- Also includes stand parts that can be displayed in a vertical landing state.
- The lift fan is integrated with the front gear storage parts to ensure reliable assembly.
- The in-fuselage weapon storage is shorter than the F-35A, and the internal details are expressed with a rich sense of three-dimensionality.
- Weapons include air-to-air missiles AIM-9X and AIM-120C, as well as GBU-12 laser-guided bombs and GBU-32 GPS-guided bombs.
- A total of 7 types of markings from 3 countries are included, including aircraft belonging to the US Marine Corps.
( This is a machine translation. Please allow for possible misinterpretations in the text. )