They combined the cockpit from an F-35, which experienced an engine failure on the runway, with the aft fuselage from another F-35, which suffered a nose gear failure.
On Jan. 24, 2025, our friend and contributor Victoria Fontana caught a pretty interesting F-35A taxing at NAS JRB Fort Worth: the so-called “Franken-Lightning”, a Lightning II aircraft made of two badly damaged F-35s.
“So the F-35 from Hill arrived just before noon on Friday, Jan. 24.” said Victoria in an email.
“It taxied over to Lockheed Martin side, where they parked it at the far north side of the ramp by some hangars. It did not leave that day. Someone on X confirmed for me the tail number for the Franken-Lightning is 5269, I was able to confirm with a friend that was on the other side of the field, that was the number on the aircraft.”
Victoria Fontana’s photos, despite the heat haze, are quite remarkable, as they offer a glimpse of a truly unique aircraft in the F-35 program.
AF-5269, the “Franken-Lightning,” is the product of ingenuity, teamwork, and a bit of bold experimentation by the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) and its partners. To put it simply, this plane is a patchwork of two damaged F-35s that have been “stitched” together, earning it the unofficial moniker “Franken-Lightning”, “Franken-Panther”, or “Franken-bird”.
The fact that a team from JPO, the 388th Fighter Wing, the Ogden Air Logistics Complex and Lockheed Martin were working on such an ambitious project was first unveiled in December 2023.
According to an article published by the U.S. Air Force on its website, it all started when the JPO decided to tackle the challenge of reconstructing AF-211, an F-35 that suffered a nose landing gear separation during an accident in June 2020. While the aft fuselage and main body of the aircraft were salvageable, the nose section was beyond repair. Around the same time, another F-35, AF-27, was sitting at Hill Air Force Base. This jet had experienced a catastrophic engine fire at Eglin AFB in 2014 and was serving as a trainer for Air Battle Damage Repair (ABDR). Its cockpit and forward fuselage were intact, making it the perfect donor for the new project.
In early 2020, the extended team came up with the idea of combining the undamaged nose of AF-27 with the aft fuselage of AF-211 to create a fully functional F-35, a project backed by a “dream team” of experts who were eager to take on this challenge.
“All of the aircraft sections can be de-mated and re-mated theoretically, but it’s just never been done before. This is history.” said Lockheed Martin lead mechanical engineer Scott Taylor.
Making history isn’t easy, though. The team at Hill Air Force Base had to design brand-new tools and fixtures specifically for this project. Unlike the stationary jigs used in the F-35 manufacturing plant in Fort Worth, these new tools were mobile and could be packed into a Conex box for use in forward operating locations. This innovation wasn’t just about restoring one jet; it was about laying the groundwork for future repair and restoration projects across the F-35 program.
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Over the years, the F-35 JPO has built a reputation for creatively repurposing damaged aircraft. From training facilities made from salvaged sections to ABDR trainers, they’ve turned seemingly unusable airframes into valuable assets. But the “Franken-Lightning” project was something different.
“This is a first for the F-35 program and a very exciting project,” said Dan Santos, F-35 JPO heavy maintenance manager in the 2023 article. “It takes a team to make these types of endeavors successful. I am very impressed with the collaborative efforts from the various agencies across Hill AFB, working together to make this happen.”
Other units, like the 570th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 576th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 809th Maintenance Support Squadron, and 309th Expeditionary Depot Maintenance Flight all contributed their expertise to the effort with the goal to have the reconstructed F-35A not only airworthy but also combat-capable, ready to return to active service by March 2025 (at least according to the original plans).
As underlined by the U.S. Air Force, in its public release on the project, the “Franken-Lightning” represents more than just a technical achievement: it’s a testament to what can be accomplished when teams come together with a shared vision. By breathing new life into damaged airframes, the F-35 JPO is saving millions in taxpayer dollars as well as enhancing the readiness of the fleet.
Dave Myers, F-35 JPO Lightning Support Team lead engineer, summed it up: “The F-35 program is still young compared to all legacy airframes. We are doing this for the first time, and organizationally for the future, we are creating a process we can move forward with.”
For now, the “Franken-Lightning” is depicted only in the distant somewhat blurry images Victoria took at Fort Worth, but aviation enthusiasts everywhere are waiting for the day it takes to the skies. As Victoria said, “Hoping we see it fly out of here again sometime soon.”
H/T to Steven Fortson for the heads-up and to Victoria for her shots.
