The F-35B in this flight test photo looks like a Transformer in the act of transforming

The following air-to-air photo shows an F-35B, the STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) version of the Joint Strike Fighter, during a test flight.

Maybe it’s because it was taken as it was extending the landing gear with opened lift fan doors for vertical flight, but don’t you think the most costly aircraft in U.S. history looks like a Transformer in the act of transforming?

Image credit: Lockheed Martin

About David Cenciotti
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.