The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) will be built in three versions that will be superficially similar on the exterior - a conventional take off and landing airplane for the USAF, a carrier airplane with appropriate beef-up, and a STOVL (Short Takeoff, Vertical Landing) airplane for the USMC and the British, and perhaps other foriegn air forces.
The STOVL version uses a vectoring nozzle at the engine exhaust, plus a lift fan just behind the cockpit. The lift fan is driven by a shaft taking power from the fan section of the engine, running forward to the gear box to rotate the fan. This shaft will transfer about 25000 horsepower at somewhere around 11000 rpm (check the horsepower of a large ship)! On the MDC design in the early 90's, the shaft was about 10 feet long, and it it of similar length in the Lockheed airplane.
Now the real question is whether a JSF will ever be built for all three services - I don't think it will.