July 13, 2019
The F-35 Has a "Sidekick" That Lets It Carry Even More Missiles
It just keeps getting better.
by Dario Leone
The idea of equipping the F-35A and F-35C with a six-missile load-out in the weapons bay has been around for over a decade. Until Lockheed Martin Tony Wilson test pilot comments during a scheduled media briefing, the company hadn’t discussed the idea publicly in several years.
Lockheed hasn’t released details of the design of the Sidekick mechanism. It’s possible the Sidekick replaces the AIM-120 launch adapter in the high section of the internal bay with a mechanism that can store two of the Raytheon-built, radar-guided missiles in the same space as one now.
The idea of equipping the F-35A and F-35C with a six-missile load-out in the weapons bay has been around for over a decade. Until Lockheed Martin Tony Wilson test pilot comments during a scheduled media briefing, the company hadn’t discussed the idea publicly in several years.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/f-35-has-sidekick-lets-it-carry-even-more-missiles-66797