X-32 - Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)

In 1996 the U. S. Department of Defense (DoD) awarded both Boeing and Lockheed Martin a contract worth approximately $660 million for the Joint Strike Fighter Concept Demonstration Program. The contract mandates that the competing contractors build aircraft that will demonstrate three specific requirements: (1) commonality, (2) low-speed handling qualities and carrier approach and (3) STOVL hover and transition between conventional and vertical flight. Ultimately, the contractors' respective proposed weapon system designs, technology maturation work and the flight demonstration results will all be considered in selecting the winning contractor in 2001 for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase of the program and for production.

The Boeing JSF is designed to be powerful, lightweight, and extremely maneuverable. With an expected 15,000 pounds of internal fuel and both internal and external ordnance carriage capabilities, its designed combat radius and payload surpass that of the legacy aircraft that it is intended to replace. The Boeing JSF has combined and enhanced the characteristics of Boeing's entire lineage of strike fighters into a stealthy, supersonic, and highly maneuverable aircraft.

The Boeing JSF is designed to accelerate faster and be more agile than any other legacy strike fighters. The 2-D thrust-vectored P&W F119 derivative engine will enable pilots to exploit the aerodynamic qualities of the aircraft. High commonality is essential for affordability - to lower the cost of procurement and ownership. Development, production, and support and training costs are dramatically reduced because the Boeing JSF is designed to be approximately 85% common among its three multi-service variants.

Early in the program Boeing created the JSF One Team to design, integrate, and assemble the right combination of structures and systems in a cost-effective manner and to successfully manage the large, complex endeavor. It is comprised of Boeing JSF employees across the United States, the Defense Department's JSF Program Office and 34 leading aerospace companies. Together, the Boeing JSF One Team has developed a Preferred Weapon System Concept for the JSF that is highly competitive in the four most important success criteria: affordability, lethality, supportability, and survivability.