The opening 15 seconds of this video will impress and you and make your stomach turn in equal measure.
Test pilot Dave 'Doc' Nelson takes the new F-35 fighter jet to the limits of its performance as he flies vertically past its stall point - and then drops from the sky.
Such is the capability of the new plane it can still be controlled even at this point providing it with unmatched manoeuvrability:
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., May 16, 2013 – The latest in a series of Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35A high angle of attack (AOA) testing was recently completed. The testing accomplished high AOA beyond both the positive and negative maximum command limits, including intentionally putting the aircraft out of control in several configurations. This included initially flying in the stealth clean wing configuration. It was followed by testing with external air-to-air pylons and missiles and then with open weapon bay doors. The F-35A began edge-of-the-envelope high AOA testing in the Fall 2012. For all testing, recovery from out of control flight has been 100 percent successful without the use of the spin recovery chute, which is carried to maximize safety.
Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II to give it its full name, will not be ready for combat until 2019.
It is a joint project between a number of countries including the US, UK and Italy.
Delays development problems have seen the costs rise massively with the US alone expected to spend £950 billion pounds.