Comparative Analysis of F-111 and F-35 Programs

Twice since WW2, namely in the early 1960s and in the mid 1990s, the United States Department of Defense (DoD) initiated combat aircraft projects aimed at satisfying the different requirements and needs of more than one Armed Service. The first was the TFX or F-111, which flew in 1964 and served from 1968 till 1996 (In Australia till 2010). The second was the JSF or F-35, which first flew as a demonstrator (X-35) in 2000 and as a real fighter in 2006. It has been introduced in 2015 and will be operational till the 2070s. This paper follows the development History of both TFX and JSF programs, analyzing the numerous challenges they faced and evaluating their final outcome as effective weapons systems. We analyze the two aircraft from the perspective of cost as well as operational capability. The overall question examined is the following: do the gains, mainly in cost savings, of these two “joint” platforms justified the losses in performance?