f-35c

The F-35C is the carrier-based variant of the aircraft, designed for catapult-assisted take-off and barrier-arrested recovery (CATOBAR) operations from aircraft carriers. Compared to the F-35A, the F-35C incorporates several modifications to meet the specific demands of carrier operations. These include larger wings with foldable wingtips to reduce the aircraft's footprint for storage, enlarged control surfaces for improved handling at low speeds, a more robust tailhook for repeated use with carrier arrestor cables, a twin-wheel nose gear, and reinforced landing gear to withstand the stresses of arrested landings. The increased wing area also allows for lower landing speeds and improves both range and payload capacity. The F-35C is limited to a maximum load factor of 7.5 g