Duration: 1:00

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The aircraft smoothly transitions from cruise to vertical flight, and from vertical flight to cruise. Additional control mechanisms are in place to ensure this delicate balancing act doesn't falter. Bleed air from the main engine bypass is directed to two roll nozzles on each wing, providing thrust far from the plane's center of pressure to control roll. Guide veins beneath the lift fan can adjust the outlet area to tweak lift fan performance and thrust, ranging from 5 degrees forward to 42 degrees backward, aided by computer-assisted control. Compared to its predecessor, the AV8B Harrier, the F35 exhibits remarkable stability. This mechanism allows the F35 to hover on two columns of air, made possible by the powerful F135 engine, developed from the F119 engine of the F22 Raptor.