RAAF Lockheed F-35A over Sydney

Since the end of WW2, Australia has been keen to ensure that the RAAF keeps up to date with the aircraft development of its Western allies and potential enemies. Unlike larger countries in the Western World, the Australian Government has neither the resources nor the economies of scale to produce complex aircraft such as the F35. An alliance with the USA in the production of the F35 has therefore been providential.

The F35 is the first multi-role 5th generation fighter attack aircraft and will be at the forefront of defence forces of many nations well into the mid-21st Century. The aircraft employs leading-edge aerospace technologies including stealth, data fusion and advanced weapons, to deliver unprecedented capability in hostile operating environments.

Three variants of the Lightning II have been developed; they are:

• the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL),

• the F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL),

• the F-35C carrier variant (CV).

By 2030 it is anticipated that 3,000 will be in service. The F35 development was unique in that Lockheed combined a design and marketing strategy in partnership with its potential customers, Britain, Canada, Norway, Turkey, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy and Australia. Production did not start until these agreements were in place.

In 2015, our first operational pair were delivered to the combined Pilot Training Centre at Luke Air Force Base in the USA as a precursor to establishing an F-35 capability at RAAF Bases Williamtown and Tindal. By the end of 2021, 44 F-35As had been accepted by the RAAF, with a total of 72 expected to be received by 2023.

In a much-needed appearance at the 2007 Paris Air Show, Lockheed could only produce a mock-up for display. So as a publicity exercise to celebrate its purchase by eight countries, Lockheed commissioned aviation artists from those countries to paint a ‘portrait’ of their country’s aircraft. David Marshall was the Australian aviation artist commissioned by Lockheed Martin to paint the RAAF version, a painting that was completed a year after the flight of the first production model.

The F35 seems to have been a long time coming and it is interesting to look back to a similar timeframe in the 1930s when the RAAF operated the Bristol Bulldog, the Westland Wapiti and the Hawker Demon; far less complex machines of course which had to be replaced to keep up with contemporary development and new wartime strategies.

Above: An RAAF Hawker Demon, 1935

So, where is the F35 painting now? Andrew Doyle, aviation enthusiast and sleuth, who is the Sustainment Development Officer for Lockheed Martin has discovered that it is displayed at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Vision Centre in Fort Worth, Texas.

Above: A Westland Wapiti