F-35 Beast Mode: How America’s Stealth Jet Becomes a Bomb Truck

Summary and What You Need to Know: The F-35, known for its stealth and precision, can switch to "Beast Mode," vastly increasing its firepower. In stealth mode, the F-35 carries just 5,700 pounds of internal weapons to minimize its radar cross-section.

-However, once air superiority is secured, the jet can deploy external hardpoints, boosting its payload to 22,000 pounds.

-This transformation allows the F-35 to carry up to 14 AMRAAMs and six 2,000-pound JDAM bombs, though at the cost of halving its operational range.