Letters to F. F. Low

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, supersonic stealth strike fighters. A multirole combat aircraft designed for air superiority and strike missions, it also has electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor, with partners Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. The aircraft has three main variants: the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A, the short take-off and vertical-landing F-35B, and the catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery F-35C. With 883 aircraft in service as of 2025, it is the world's fourth-most-numerous military aircraft, and most-numerous stealth aircraft.