X-35B - Independent State Allied Forces

The sudden escalation of hostilities during the Continental War forced ISAF to mobilize a tremendous amount of military force in a hurried manner. "Ad hoc and impromptu", as one general would quip. ISAF members pooled their resources in an unprecedented alliance to combat hostile Erusean forces. A key threat was the the Stonehenge Turret Network, used as a lethal area denial superweapon.

Several members of the ISAF alliance were participants in the JSF fighter program. The FCU was one such nation, and had several prototype airframes in storage. After a brief evaluation and tuning phase, the X-35B's were rapidly converted for combat operations. Despite their experimental nature, the X-35's inherent stealth technology, STOVL capability and the high attrition of ISAF Air Force units made them high value assets. Other nations with JSF prototypes joined the conversion effort, totaling sixteen X-35 airframes of differing variants.

The FCU's seven-strong X-35B detachment were flown by the War Horse Squadron for the duration of the conflict. Participating in air and strike ops, half of the airframes were lost to enemy fire. A core weakness of the X-35B was its single engine, acerbated by the dead weight of the lift fan in normal flight.