F-35 Matches Lancaster Bomb Load

The Lockheed Martin F-35 and the World War II-era Avro Lancaster heavy bomber both top out at about 8.2 tons of maximum weapon load. That match-up puts a modern stealth fighter in the same payload class as a dedicated four-engine bomber from the 1940s. By contrast, the Boeing B-17 typically carried about 3.6 tons on a short-range mission.

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