F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter and the P-175 Polecat Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) have received the 2006 Best of What’s New awards from Popular Science, the world’s largest science and technology magazine.

Popular Science Editor Mark Jannot said, “Best of What’s New is the ultimate Popular Science accolade, representing a year’s worth of work evaluating thousands of products. These awards honor innovations that not only influence the way we live today, but that change the way we think about the future.”

The stealthy Lightning II is a supersonic, multi-role, 5TH Generation fighter designed to replace a wide range of existing aircraft, including AV-8B Harriers, A-10s, F-16s, F/A-18 Hornets and United Kingdom Harrier GR.7s and Sea Harriers. Three versions of the F-35 are under development: a conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant for conventional runways, a short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant for operating off small ships and near front-line combat zones, and a carrier variant (CV) for catapult launches and arrested recoveries on board the U.S. Navy’s large aircraft carriers.

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