The F-35 has three variants—F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C—and can carry 2× 2000-lb bombs internally (or up to 18,000 lb externally) with a top speed of about Mach 1.6. As of 2025, the F-35A unit flyaway price is roughly $80–$90 million (B/C around $100 million), with production around 150 jets per year and over 1,000 aircraft…
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FCAS/SCAF aims to field a “system of systems” including a Next-Generation Fighter (NGF) with remote carrier drones and a combat cloud, targeting 2040 in-service and costs exceeding €100 billion. The United States’ NGAD is a “family of systems” with a manned core fighter plus loyal wingman drones, potentially costing around $300 million per fighter and…
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The F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation stealth air-superiority fighter that first flew in 1997 and achieved Initial Operational Capability in December 2005, with 187 production aircraft completed by 2012. It can sustain supersonic flight without afterburner, achieving supercruise at speeds above Mach 1.5. In standard configuration it carries eight internally mounted air-to-air weapons: six AIM-120C…
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