Cockpit of the X-35B [LMTAS photo]

The X-35B's STOVL capability allows the aircraft to take-off and land with minimal or no runway space. [unknown photographer]

The Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter X-35B opens the doors to its short-take off vertical landing [LMTAS photo]

Ready to Jump The X-35B, shown at the LMTAS' facility in Palmdale, Calif., is undergoing final systems checks prior to a series of vertical takeoffs set for late June early July 2001. [LMTAS photo]

The X-35B floats above a hover pit at the company's Palmdale, Calif., plant on June 23th 2001, following its first vertical takeoff. The airplane landed vertically shortly afterward. [LMTAS photo]

The supersonic Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter X-35B descends vertically to a soft landing at Edwards Air Force Base , Calif., in July 2001. [LMTAS photo]

Following a vertical take off, the X-35B holds a stationary position 25 feet above the ground at Lockheeds Palmsdale plant on June 24th 2001. Pilot Simon Hargreaves described the flight as a stunning success. [LMTAS photo]

The X-35B in the hover with the lift-fan rotated through 90 degrees. [LMTAS photo]

The X-35B in the hover with the lift-fan rotated through 90 degrees. [LMTAS photo]