The need for the Joint Strike Fighter
The X35 was built to satisfy the aims of four separate combat air services: the US Air Force, the US Navy, the US Marine Corp, and the British Royal Navy. Hence, the 'joint' component in the name JSF.

The Air Force requires a versatile strike aircraft that can be operate at medium to long ranges between air bases, often requiring air-to-air refueling. The US Marine Corps requires a strike fighter that can operate from forward air strips, often with shorter landing strips or even highways or roads. The Navy requires that the JSF can land and take off from aircraft carriers, while both the Royal Navy and the US Marine Corp needed a replacement for its Harrier jump jets, which can land and take off vertically from land or smaller carriers.

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