F-35C with external stores

This new photo from Lockheed Martin shows the F-35C with 4 external GBU-12-like shapes, 2 AIM-9s and the gunpod.

This would be used for missions where low observable status is not important.

The overly optimistic idea of a big wing and heavy aircraft meeting its JORD radius requirements will be difficult.

This configuration has nothing to do with the F-35C JORD radius requirements.

If the aircraft ever works, it has one advantage over the Super Hornet. That is that the ATFLIR on the Super gets masked if you put big things on the left wing. A similar problem of E/O pod masking exists with the Harrier and A-10. Not so much with the F-15 and F-16 and F-35.

Once they start putting more external stores configurations on the F-35C, they can start to figure out carrier approach limits and bring-back.

Bring-back is how much weight you can bring back to the ship without breaking the aircraft.

Now if it will only trap reliably.


H/T- The Aviationist


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Here is a ground test of an F-35C with 4x 2000lb external JDAM shapes from June 2013.

Don't know if it ever flew.