The F-35 is about to get a lot more lethal in air-to-air combat - without losing its stealth

U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon E. Renfroe

A U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II, attached to Commander, Joint Strike Fighter Wing, the 'Argonauts' of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147, completes a flight over Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Feb. 1, 2019.

• Top US defense contractor Lockheed Martin has unveiled a new weapons rack to increase the internal air-to-air missile carrying capacity of the F-35.
• The new weapons rack - Sidekick - allows the fifth-generation fighters to carry an additional AIM-120 AMRAAM in each of its two internal weapons bays, increasing the weapons capacity from four to six.
• The Sidekick weapons rack is intended to give the F-35A and F-35Cs mainly flown by the Air Force and Navy a firepower boost without sacrificing stealth.
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Lockheed Martin has developed a new weapons rack to give the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter a boost in firepower without sacrificing stealth, the defense contractor revealed Wednesday.

The fifth-generation stealth fighters currently carry four AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles, but the new weapons rack - Sidekick - will allow the aircraft to hold an additional AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) in each of the aircraft's two internal weapons bays, Lockheed's F-35 test pilot Tony 'Brick' Wilson explained at a media briefing, according to Sea Power Magazine.

Increasing the number of AMRAAMs the F-35 can carry from four to six gives the fighter more to throw at an enemy fighter or drone in air combat.

U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Michael Jackson

F-35A Lightning II test aircraft assigned to the 31st Test Evaluation Squadron from Edwards Air Force Base, California, released AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9X missiles at QF-16 targets during a live-fire test over an Air Force range in the Gulf of Mexico on June 12, 2018.

The F-35 stores weapons internally to maintain stealth and make detection less likely as the aircraft sneaks past defenses. Presently, a strictly internal loadout allows the fighter to carry up to 5,700 pounds of ordnance.

Internally, the planes can carry a full set of AMRAAMs or a mixture of air-to-air missiles and air-to-surface Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMS).

The aircraft can also operate in "beast mode," a combined internal and external loadout that allows the F-35 to fly into battle with up to 22,000 pounds of weaponry - but this configuration degrades the jet's stealth advantage.

U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon E. Renfroe

Three F-35C Lightning II, attached to Commander, Joint Strike Fighter Wing, the "Argonauts" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147, the "Rough Raiders "Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 125 and the "Grim Reapers" Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101 complete a flight overhead Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. Feb. 1, 2019.

Lockheed's new Sidekick weapons rack will boost the internal missile carrying capacity of the Air Force F-35As and Navy F-35Cs, but not the Marine Corps F-35Bs. These planes have smaller weapons bays due to a lift fan needed for short takeoff/vertical landing, a requirement for operations aboard US amphibious assault ships.

The F-35 program office first mentioned efforts to add capacity for another AMRAAM in each weapons bay two years ago. "There's a lot of engineering work to go with that," the program's director explained at the time, according to Air Force Magazine.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Wilson said that the "extra missiles add a little weight but are not adding extra drag." He also said that the F-35 has the ability to eventually carry hypersonic missiles should that capability be necessary.