10 Reasons Nearly Nothing Can Stop the F-35 Stealth Fighter Collectively, these ten indicators support the assessment of the late Senator John McCain that the F-35 is destined to be “the greatest combat aircraft in history.” October 26 of this year marks the 20th anniversary of the day in 2001 when the development contract for the F-35 fighter was awarded to an industry team led by Lockheed Martin. Called the Joint Strike Fighter at the time, it was an improbable project: a family of tactical aircraft that could do everything for everybody, in the process replacing most of the nation’s Cold War fighter fleet.