The fifth-generation F-35B fighter with short takeoff and vertical landing is equipped with an auto-activation US16E ejection seat. Drive tells it.

The American edition notes that two other modifications of the fighter – conventional (ground) and deck – have the same seat, but the launch system is included manually.

The fact that the F-35B has an automatic launch system is what The Drive calls a little-known feature of the aircraft. Still, the publication acknowledges that information about it is stated on the website of the Martin-Baker company that manufactures the US16E chair.

The publication emphasizes that the F-35B is the first American aircraft to receive a seat with the possibility of automatic launch. The publication relates this to the design of the fighter’s power plant in the event of a malfunction, in which the pilot may not have enough time (less than two seconds) to manually start the launch system.