I have always had a bit of fascination for the different types of aircraft fighters that have come about and the amazing abilities that they, in some cases, have. For shear beauty I have always loved the B-2 Spirit Bomber and the F-117 Nighthawk.
I just watched two interesting videos on the new F-35 from the recent BBC news article linked below, and what makes me like it is the features and capabilities that it has, not necessarily the more traditional fighter design it has. In the video here and at the bottom of the article, it is quite amazing the precise images they can get from the cameras on the plane from 43 miles away from its target or what it is looking at. Another technology part that is interesting to hear about is an information system to allow the fighter and the pilot to accept information from satellites, other aircraft, sea units and ground based units, that allows the pilot much more complete information to help finish his mission.
Also a question to ponder is the British pilot that is interviewed in the video here talks about how he was honored to be one of the first few to pilot possibly the last new model manned fighter aircraft. That is certainly a possibility given the recent advancements in the drones and other aircraft that do not require a person to physically fly them.
Granted the F-35 fighter and the other planes I mentioned above are military jet fighters and should be remembered as such. However I still think you can appreciate either the technology advancements that are shown as in the F-35 or the great design work on the aircraft like the B-2 Spirit Bomber and the F-117 Nighthawk.
BBC News – Joint Strike Fighter: Jet that’s a ‘spy in the sky’.