The US Air Force has announced that the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be named Lightning II, after the P-38 Lightning of WWII fame. Surely Lightning III would have been more appropriate, given that NATO already had another Lightning in the form of the English Electric Lightning.
In my opinion the F-35 may have the technological edge on anything in the skies but to British aviation fans like myself this aircraft will not have the character of the classic English Electric Lightning.
See more photographs of the last flying Lightnings here.
craniac's place 
Steve… The Yanks only go by their names for previous planes, other countries planes with similar names just do not come into the picture. 🙂
Fantastic detail there by the way, those rivets are almost surreal!
Steve,
I know nothing about airplanes but I went to REM High with you in 1979. I was the Aussie Rotary Exchange student that hung about in your group at school.
Love your photos!! Especially the School shots of Penny, Pam and Helen. Great memories of REM High.
Drop me a line at stewgow@bigpond.net.au
Cheers
Stewart Gow