Over the bow of the Navy’s USS Wasp amphibious assault ship we can see what looks to be a “UFO” rising out of the sea or maybe just flying in to take a look at what America has in the way of defense.

But this UFO is not the mystery we may think it is. That’s because it’s not a UFO at all, but an advanced Marine fighter jet.

Here’s the low down on the Lockheed Martin F-35B Joint Strike Fighter from the Daily Mail:

Eerie UFO-like footage shows the U.S. Marines’ latest high-tech jet

With a globe of light illuminating each wingtip, and a fierce tongue of fire spouting from beneath, this hovering aircraft has been compared to an extraterrestrial visitor.

It is the latest test of the high-tech warplane that the U.S. and its allies are funding to maintain the West’s aerial dominance far into the 21st century.

A video shows the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II making its first night landing at sea, using its vertical landing capabilities to gently touch down on the deck of the USS Wasp.

The F-35B Lightning is the short take-off/vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the radar-evading Joint Strike Fighter – a collaborative development funded by the U.S. and eight of its major allies.

The jet combines advanced stealth features with fighter speed and agility, with its STOVL capabilities enabling it to operate from a wider range of ships.

The landing shown in the video was carried out by U.S. Marine Corps test pilot Lieutenant Colonel C.R. ‘Jimi’ Clift, a Harrier pilot by training.

‘It all went extremely well,’ he said. ‘Eight successful landings in one night, so we’re tracking favorably along the learning curve.’

During the 18-day long ship trials, which began on August 14, two F-35Bs were to conduct a series of tests to determine the aircraft’s suitability for sea-based operations.

They also included the first take-off and landing at sea by an RAF test pilot, Squadron Leader Jim Schofield, with the UK earmarking £250billion for a fleet of the jets due to be in operation by 2018.

Squadron Leader Schofield said: ‘It’s exciting to see the integration of this new plane with the amphibious assault ships.

‘After a year leading up to this evolution, it’s awesome to get here and start. And the crew has been especially accommodating and efficient at running these tests smoothly’

Captain Erik Etz, Director of Test & Evaluation for the F-35 Naval Variants, added: ‘It’s a significant milestone for the F-35 programme.

‘We’re providing an envelope that will be utilised by Marine Corps and U.K. aviators when they go out and employ the aircraft in a real environment.

For more on this story, head over to the Daily Mail…

With so many possibilities out there, UFO sightings just don’t have the luster they once enjoyed. I’ve gotten to the point where I all but ignore reports of “lights” in the sky. A distant orange dot means very little and the claims I’ve read don’t impress me either.

While there are those who make clear what they are referencing, lets be honest, most who report “UFOs” equate them with ET craft of some kind. I sift through 100+ reports a month and it’s extremely rare that one catches my eye enough to spend any time examining it. Unfortunately, a quick run through Image Error Analysis eliminates 95% of those and further analysis brings that number to roughly 99%. If you’re paying attention, that leaves a grand total of 1 in 100 as unexplained. Remember that word, “unexplained” because that “one” may not be anything otherworldly either.

With all the drones and other advanced aircraft flying around, it’s almost impossible to differentiate from a distance, especially at night. Sightings tend to happen in a very short period of time and frankly, if I saw the F35 from say 2 miles away, it would look a lot like a triangular craft of some sort. Many military aircraft can (from our vantage point) imitate classic saucers or “UFO” configurations (whatever that means) from the right viewing angle. This problem has also worked it’s way into the private sector with RC aircraft. As we’ve already reported (see associated content), they can now attach LEDs to large RC jets, etc…which again, gives a jaded perception in many instances.

This begs the question: Is it getting more difficult to ascertain the possible origin of a UFO? Everyone wants to believe they are witnessing something made on a distant planet, but I think we are getting to a point in our history where ET may have to fly down and park at the local high school in order to be accurately identified.

I am of the belief that there are advanced races on distant stars, however, I have yet to see anything that would convince me of their visitation to Earth. Then again, I would never assume that ET hasn’t been here as some photos do raise questions. In fact of the tens of thousands of UFO photos taken over the years, I’ve seen possibly 10 that raise my eyebrows. One such photo was taken in Northcliff, South Africa in 1963. It was taken by a real estate agent, out photographing homes for sale. Below we see that photo as well as a close up of the object/s in question.

As we can all see, the clarity of that picture is pretty decent considering the era. The funny thing is, as we’ve advanced in technology, our photos seem to get more and more blurred. Hmm, don’t you think that’s somewhat strange? If this real estate agent can take such a photo in 1963, come on! Even our smartphones have HD cameras on them.

Finally, as much as I claim to be on the fence, I have been guilty of sensationalizing UFO stories in past articles. If I see a shred of possibility…..and lets face it, I have a responsibility to allow the readers to make up their own minds, even if I’m not convinced.

I’ll see you at the next Lincoln High parking lot stake out. Oh and don’t forget to smudge your camera lens.

Thanks to the Daily Mail and UFO Casebook for providing content for this article.

Associated Content:

GT: Amazing UFO Seen Over Crete
GT: Video: Stunning UFO?
GT: “Belgian UFO” Photo A Hoax