F-35s Could Fly for 100 Years

Related File Video Above: F-35s to Europe

By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

Conceptual work and flight demos for the Joint Strike Fighter F-35X prototype go all the way back to 2000, and the stealth multi-role jet took flight for production more than 15-years ago in 2006, a set of circumstances which raises an interesting and provocative question. 

Could the F-35 fly for close to 100 years? A century aircraft? This might seem quite beyond the realm, however the matter certainly merits a closer look for a variety of key reasons. 

F-35s Could Fly for 100 Years

Is it possible for the aircraft to remain relevant, effective against threats and potentially even “superior” well into the 2080s and beyond? If not the best stealth fighter aircraft in existence in the year 2090, perhaps the F-35 could still remain extremely impactful, relevant and competitive until 2100?

There are some interesting reference points for this, as both the 1950s and 1960s-era B-52 bomber and CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopter have each been upgraded so much such that they could potentially operate for 100 years. 

Today’s B-52s are nearly an entirely different plane than those which first emerged decades ago, absent a basic external configuration or airframe consistency. The same can be said for the Chinook.