When war experts first laid eyes on the F-35 Lightning II, its slender, radar-evading form hinted at a stealth plane designed for avoidance rather than raw power. Few could have imagined that this very same aircraft would become one of the deadliest fighter planes in history.
And yet that’s precisely what occurred when pilots started experimenting with what has been dubbed “Beast Mode”—a mode that sacrifices some stealth for sheer firepower.
It starts with the original design philosophy of the F-35. Engineers prioritized low observability, carrying all weapons inside so the aircraft remains invisible on radar. The compromise was a reduced payload versus ancient jets such as the F-16 or F/A-18. And then in 2018, while conducting weapons integration tests, engineers began testing external hardpoints, and the findings were amazing even for veteran pilots.
Abruptly, the F-35 would be able to carry up to 22,000 pounds of payload—a weight similar to the legendary B-52 bombing sorties of the Vietnam War. Unlike those slow-moving bombers, however, this fifth-generation fighter would be able to drop its payload precisely while, at the same time, protecting itself from hostile planes.
Much of this ability comes from the F-35’s sensor fusion system. It enables one pilot to control dozens of precision-guided bombs and half a dozen air-to-air missiles while having situational awareness that older aircraft can only imagine.
Naturally, having weapons loaded beneath wings does impact stealth. Radar cross-section is raised, but not nearly as much as critics in the past had forecast.
The F-35’s electronic warfare suite, advanced as it is, compensates to some degree by employing signature management and high-level jammers to remain survivable even in this so-called “dirty” configuration.
The success of Beast Mode has been tested in real-world exercises such as Northern Edge in Alaska, where F-35s fully loaded for maximum firepower destroyed complete air defense networks intended to intercept conventional strike forces.
They performed better than conventional strike planes such as the F-15E, demonstrating that a fifth-generation fighter can excel at both stealth and heavy-punching capabilities of contemporary air combat.
In the future, Beast Mode only intensifies. With the addition of new capabilities like the AIM-260 air-to-air missile and future hypersonic missiles, the F-35 is well-positioned to be a cornerstone of airpower for decades to come. Its adaptable design can send it operating unseen behind enemy lines or strike hard enough to knock out a small airfield in one pass.
What started as a stealth experiment turned into one of the most versatile and potent strike weapons ever to take to the skies. Beast Mode didn’t add an extra feature to the F-35—it redefined what a next-generation fighter can do in the skies of today.