The F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter

The Worlds most advanced Military Fighter Aircraft is finally making its appearance.

 Military Contractor Lockheed Martin is firing up the Jets 40,000 pound-thrust engine and is preparing for flight tests and analysis.  The jet can fly at supersonic speeds, and deflect radar signals.  Also, by the end of the month, Pilots are preparing to show off it’s most anticipating feature – the ability to take off and land vertically, or strait up and down, like a helicopter, then accelerate to high speed and fly like a normal fighter jet.

It is a variant of the original F-35, commissioned by the department of defense.  Its ability to take off and land vertically makes it perfect for taking off in small spaces, ships, and attack targets from much smaller spaces.  It also doesn’t need virtually any runway space to take off.  The service should put the $300 billon Lightning in service by 2012.  They are planning on replacing the militaries fleet of AV-8 Harriers and F/A-18 Superhornets at bases around the United States.\

What makes the Lightning Fly:

Most other fighter jets need at least 3000 feet of runway to take, the F-35 only needs 500 feet to take off.  The lift fan pushes air down, pushing the plane up.  When  is reaches about 290 miles an hour, it has enough beneath its wings to start flying like a normal airplane.