Armament

¶ Political decisions: as of 6 September 2026

New political decisions checked on 6 September 2026; earlier background retains its stated reference date.

11.08.2026 — The National Council Security Policy Committee proposes an additional CHF 500 million for ground-based air-defence ammunition and indirect fire support (11–9, four abstentions). This is not an F-35 armament credit. It separately supports the CHF 394 million F-35 credit. Original source.

Further reading: Patriot / Air2030 · Drohnen / Drones

¶ 5. Armament

The F-35 features internal and external weapon stations, the use of which directly affects the stealth signature [27].

¶ Internal Weapon Bays

• F-35A/C: 2 bays, sized for weapons of the 2,000-lb class
• F-35B: 2 bays, somewhat smaller dimensions
• Standard loadout: 4x AIM-120 AMRAAM (air-to-air) or 2x AIM-120 + 2x GBU-31 JDAM (multirole)

¶ Sidekick Adapter

Starting from Lot 15, the Sidekick adapter enables internal carriage of 6 instead of 4 AIM-120 AMRAAM in the F-35A/C variants [28]. The adapter is not compatible with the F-35B.

¶ External Pylons

6 external stations (3 per wing) with a total payload capacity of up to 8,160 kg (18,000 lbs) [27]. The use of external pylons significantly increases the radar cross-section.

¶ "Beast Mode"

Maximum external loading while sacrificing stealth characteristics. Typical for scenarios with established air superiority.

¶ Current and Planned Weapon Integration

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¶ References

[27] FAS Military Analysis Network: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
[28] The War Zone: F-35 Closer To Carrying Six AIM-120 Missiles Internally. 2023