JSF officially named "Lightning II"
 

http://www.jsf.mil

Not a bad name , and certainly fitting (though some might feel it was more fitting for the F-22) given that the US and UK are the biggest partners in the JSF project, and both countries have fielded a fighter named "Lightning" in the past.

i really wish there were a few more old raf lightnings flying, awesome craft. only fighter to catch and kill a concorde during nato trials.


incidently the old 1959 raf Lightning is/was faster the the jsf and possibly had a longer range. certainly surprised the americans when an old lightning caught one of there u2's at 88,000 feet.

I thought the F-22 was the Lightning II? Is that officially known as the Raptor?

The F-22 has officially been called "Raptor" since the first production-spec aircraft was built in 1997. "Lightning II" was only an informal name given to it by LockMart.

Yes, but it's weakness was very limited armament, consisting of only two 30mm cannons and 2 IR-guided Red Top AAMs.

I'm not all up in arms about the JSF being named Lightning II, although I do think that name suited the F-22 much more than the JSF. The F-22 was very similar to the P-38, a high tech twin engined speed demon optimized for air supremacy. The JSF meanwhile is a much more modest single engine fighter designed first for strike missions and second to be a fighter. IMHO the JSF should've been named after a famous but less exotic plane like the Mustang or Spitfire. Mustang was my name of choice, a stable workhorse able to perform air to air and air to ground missions well and with spectacular range.

The pilots themselves always seem to come up with a more appropriate name in the long run, it'll be interesting to see what comes up this time 'round.

I think the pilots will come up with a more appropriate name. Lightning II just sounds wrong when sitting next to an F-22! Personal opinion of course.

B-1B Lancer is what? Called the Spectre? Perfect name for the most bad ass bomber on the planet. B-2 is cool, but the payload differences make the B-1 a much more valuable plane when it comes to dishing out damage.

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/bomber/jdam.gif