For the U.S. Marine Corps, the British RAF and the Royal Navy, it`s been of importance to develop a fighter with the capacity of taking off from a very short runway, then to undertake a mission breaking through the sound barrier, before in success landing vertically. The cooperative branches of weapon are making use of various versions of Harriers constructed in Great Britain, with the intention of exchanging these with the F-35B, being the STOVL-version, Short Take off and Vertical Landing, of the JSF. In addition, the USMC is planning to exchange the elder models of the F/A-18 with the F-35B.

The most significant advantage with aircrafts capable of taking off and landing vertically, is that the aircraft can be stationed in close perimeter to the enemy. One is harvesting a short reaction time all the while not experiencing the need for tankers in air. Another advantage with STOVL-aircrafts is not needing all that large in size and costing aircraft carriers. The cost of an F-35B is assumed to end up close to the prize of the aircraft carrier version, F-35C.