F-35 Performs Its First Vertical Landing

Beautifully done!
It looks more dignified and relaxed than normal landings on aircraft carriers
Though the plane isn’t really a looker..

83 million and its the loudest attack aircraft in the arsenal. Pretty cool until its in your backyard. Who the hell are we fighting that we still need beasts like these? Whatever, just keep these hovering albatroses out of Tucson! Its bad enough with the F-16s and A-10s!

What am I missing. Didn’t the British Harriers do this twenty years ago?

This footage of a Harrier jet making a landing on an AC in 2007 is surreal to me, as I used to serve on an AC before that was the big new thing. The vertical takeoff is another example of the technology in an early phase.

terrabyte:

I haven’t done any research on this new jet, but the Harrier has crashed many times and I’d guess that this is an improved, safer version.

I love how many negative comments are on this post. This is astonishing to me. It may be even more astonishing that others aren’t impressed. The science behind something like this is awesome.

This thing looks amazing!

Ah come on people! Yes the harrier can do it too, so what?? people were able to run 200,000 years ago, and we’re still watching the olympic games.

What’s more, this aircraft can do a hell of a lot more than a harrier (like supersonic flight, for one), it’s not just “a plane that hovers”.

By the way if you don’t like planes that hover, there are two other versions that don’t, so be happy!

@otterly:
Stop bitching, this is the product of the JSF program, which means it is funded by the USA, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, Australia, Denmark and Canada.

These new fighters could come in handy for future wars with maybe Russia, China, or France