History Main / CoolPlane

The aerial equivalent of the CoolCar, CoolBoat, and the flying, usually metallic (but increasingly composite) incarnation of the RuleOfCool. Allowing you to rule the skies with pizazz, the Cool Plane will not break down, rust, or ever go out of style (unless the plot demands it). This is a plane that doesn't serve peanuts to its customers, it serves a [[Film/CasinoRoyale2006 Vesper martini]], a buffalo steak burger, and a side order of ''whoopass'' given by [[SexyStewardess a very pleasant stewardess]]. Please keep your hands inside the vehicle at all times while reading this play and take note of the exits. You may need to parachute out.

Cool Planes are probably piloted by a DangerDeadpan AcePilot. They will frequently include stealth technology, which in reality does not make a plane invisible to radar, but reduces the detection to such that enemy reaction times will be reduced so much they cannot really do anything bar getting the hoses out.

* ''Franchise/{{Cars}}'': The [[WesternAnimation/{{Cars}} first film]] has Rotor Turbosky, Strip "The King" Weathers' helicopter, [[PunnyName Barney Stormin]], a red and white biplane seen sponsoring the final race, and a quartet of fighter jets at the same race composing of Marco, Stu Bop, and two unnamed jets, while ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'' has Siddeley, Finn [=McMissile=]'s stealth fighter jet and his archenemies, the Lemons' BlackHelicopter, as well as Everett the passenger plane and an unnamed Samairai passenger plane. The SpinOff ''Mater's Tall Tales'' features even more aircraft: ''Rescue Squad Mater'' features a pair of rescue helicopters, ''Mater the Greater'' has Props [=McGee=], a blue and red stunt plane, ''UFM: Unidentified Flying Mater'' has Captain Munier the attack helicopter, and ''Air Mater'' has the Falcon Hawks. Meanwhile, ''WesternAnimation/{{Planes}}'' features an entire cast of these.

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'''s A-61 Mantis is usually used as a gunship, but the codex says that it can easily act as a fixed wing aircraft. It's design in the game reflects this, making it look like a fixed wing aircraft that's been turned and contorted in various ways with fold-up parts. Also according to the codex, in this role it can fulfill the role of ''any'' aircraft, whether it be a fighter, ground attack aircraft, or high-altitude bomber, all while being faster and more maneuverable than any equivalent aircraft we have today (i.e. Harriers). While the models you encounter in VideoGame/MassEffect2 are shitty stripped down ones used by mercenary bands, the "Stolen Memory" DLC and VideoGame/MassEffect3 let you see the normal, military-issue versions. All models of the Mantis pack dual unlimited ammo cannons and ten missiles, and the military models have very powerful DeflectorShields.

** ''VideoGame/AceCombat2'' was the first to have fantasy-made aircraft. A recurring example is the fan-favorite XFA-27, whose design looked like it came straight out of ''Macross'', as it heavily resembles a VF-11 but minus the ability to turn into a mecha, is way more maneuverable than any other aircraft, and being able to fire four missiles at once (a mini-Macross Missile Massacre?), something that no other plane could do until [[VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies the fourth game]] onwards. The ADF-01 FALKEN (pictured above) made its debut in this game as a BonusBoss, which is a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere because the first time you fight it, you have absolutely no idea what the heck kind of aircraft it is and no you can't fly it.

%% * ComicBook/TheAvengers' quinjets count as a CoolPlane Fleet.

* The titular high-tech, stealth helicopter carrying a [[GatlingGood 20mm gatling gun]] from ''Film/BlueThunder''. All that and it was made for police services.

%% * ''Anime/YuGiOh'': Seto Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Jet...

%% * Almost every aircraft in ''Literature/SentouYouseiYukikaze,'' friendly or enemy, especially the FFR-41 Mave which the main character, Rei Fukai, pilots (and thus give the most screentime). You can check them all out [[http://www.gearsonline.net/series/yukikaze/ here.]]
%% ** Not to mention almost every LAM (Land-Air 'Mech from ''TabletopGame/BattleTech''... at least until FASA ran into legal troubles for ripping off designs from ''Anime/{{Macross}}'', amongst other sources.

%% * In ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'', the Motor Club finds the lost fuselage of the second J7W1 Shinden prototype (in real life the second Shinden is presumed destroyed) underneath Nekomi Tech, and restore it to flight capability for Keiichi to pilot.

%% ** ''Anime/FutureBoyConan'' has Monsley's Falco.
%% ** ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'' features the Valley of the Wind Gunship.
%% ** ''Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro'', one of the Lupin anime that Miyazaki directed, features the Count's autogyro.
%% ** ''Anime/CastleInTheSky'' has a number of smaller wacky/cool ships. The titular Castle, however, is a CoolAirship!

* The titular ''Starlight One'' hypersonic sub-orbital passenger liner in the 1983 disaster MadeForTVMovie of the same name, based on experimental NASA SpacePlane technology.

* In ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra'', COBRA has a cool gunship that is not only agile but is also ImmuneToBullets up to .50 calibre and has [[MoreDakka the Dakka]] to [[PointDefenseless shoot missiles out of the air]]. They also have the Night Raven ([[NamesTheSame no relation to the]] ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' [[NamesTheSame bird]]), which [[CaptainErsatz looks rather like]] ''Film/{{Firefox}}'', does Mach 6 and has voice-operated weapons.

* The SWAT Kats' custom-made jet, the [=TurboKat=], from ''WesternAnimation/SWATKats''. It was built from ''junkyard scrap'', and yet has three engines, VTOL capabilities, a cement-spewing machine gun, a boatload of missiles for every occasion (from blinding enemy fighters (the Tarpedoes) to cutting a pilot out of his seat (the Cookie Cutter)), the capacity to carry vehicles like the [[CoolBike Cyclotron motorcycles]] and a DrillTank called the [=TurboMole=], and even the ability to go into space with ''four extra engines'' and heat shielding.

* The Bazelgeuse of ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' is a wyvern, but it still counts because it's a wyvern that both looks and acts like ''a Boeing B-52''. It soars over hill and dale with its enormous wings, dropping a barrage of grenades from above onto anything that looks like a tasty meal to it.

%% * The SX Swordfish from ''ComicBook/BlakeAndMortimer''.

Oh, also: Helicopters ''are'' included in this category. Airships, however, get [[CoolAirship their own page]]. For the CoolPlane [-[[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE!]]-], see SpaceFighter and SpacePlane.

%% * The SX Swordfish from ''ComicBook/BlakeAndMortimer''.
%% * The [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Batplane]]([[DependingOnTheWriter or Batwing]]), and sometimes [[BlackHelicopter Batcopter]]. Batman's small one-man copter, [[http://www.comictreadmill.com/CTMBlogarchives/2009Images/WhirlyBat673.JPG The Whirly-Bat]] has its own legion of fans. Their aerodynamics are often questionable, given the need to shape the wings in roughly the form of Batman's insignia, but when powered by RuleOfCool that's not a problem.

* Franchise/WonderWoman's famous Invisible Jet.
** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Not only is it an early version of stealth technology, it can travel at least 2,000 MPH or 40 miles/second, be summoned/controlled telepathically, travel into space and even to other dimensions. This was also before Wondy had been given the ability to fly herself, removing the usual question for why she needs a plane.
** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': As the ComicBook/PostCrisis Amazons were stripped of their technological advances and scientific based society in favor of tying them to the Greek Pantheon when the invisible plane was reintroduced it was a sentient transforming craft gifted to Diana by a SufficientlyAdvancedAlien.
** ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfWonderWoman2016'': The Invisible Plane gets an AdaptationalBackstoryChange, and is in this continuity is a B-17 that's been painted with Wonder Woman NoseArt and undergone stealth experimentation that allows it to turn invisible at the push of a button.
* The Comicbook/XMen's trademark Blackbird. The first Blackbird was literally a modified SR-71, custom made by Lockheed. Which illustrates how [[{{Fiction500}} absurdly wealthy and well-connected]] Professor Xavier is. Later Blackbirds had little in common with the the SR-71, and incorporated [[ImportedAlienPhlebotinum Shi'ar technology]], but retained the name because by that point it had become an X-Men tradition.
* The [[Comicbook/{{Blackhawk}} Blackhawk Squadron]] flew a great many Cool Planes over the years, most notably the '40s-era [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XF5F_Skyrocket XF5F Skyrocket]] whose distinctive looks made it the definitive Blackhawk plane.
* The Great Ten's Immortal Man (Men?) In Darkness flies one of these, the Dragonwing, that's based on alien technology and is phenomenally powerful. The current Immortal Man in Darkness isn't ashamed to admit that he's in love with the old girl.
* The ComicBook/FantasticFour's second Fantasticar is a CoolPlane that splits into four '''Cool Hover Crafts'''.
* In ComicBook/DallasBarr, Ricardo Garibaldi lives on a plane large enough to have a garden in the cargo hold.
* The ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' [[ComicBook/MarvelOneHundredthAnniversarySpecial 100th anniversary special]] has the Quin-Jet, a flying pyramid with seats for the travelers.
* Franchise/{{Batman}}'s Batplane has been a mainstay since the Golden Age, usually depicted as a jet plane with bat-like wings. Comics and other Batman-related media since the 90s have largely replaced the Batplane with the stealth bomber-inspired Batwing.
* The ComicBook/StrikeforceMorituri team uses a supersonic ballistic capsule to quickly fly to Horde invasion sites.

* ''Fanfic/TheSecretReturnOfAlexMack'': The SRI is able to have the last two SR-71 Blackbirds reserved for Terawatt's use. They're capable of going over ''Mach 3'', but were mostly decommissioned because they're so expensive to run. To further improve response times and get around the need for quite a long runway, they're modified to let Terawatt pop in and out of the cockpit in her silvery form while moving; she gets collected via a GlassSmackAndSlide at 100mph, then bails out over the target.

[[folder:Films — Animation]]

** The "Manta Ray" jet. It flies in the air ''and'' swims under water ''and'' even serves Mr. Incredible shrimp cocktail and mimosa [[ArtificialIntelligence all by itself... with no flight attendants]]! Its creator is an [[LoonyFan annoying]] [[GadgeteerGenius inventive]] [[AscendedFanboy fanboy]] [[FaceHeelTurn turned]] [[BigBad bad]], who also happens to be the creator of...
** The Velocipods -- a {{mook}}-flown, and also crazy baddie invention. Being small, fast and agile, it's basically your car-sized one-man helicopter that can fly tight circles around people. Its arsenal of [[MoreDakka twin machine guns]] gives it some raw firepower at a healthy distance, but you know what? It's the ''[[HelicopterBlender blades]]'' that make it really [[{{Pun}} incredible]]: we mean, it ''cuts entire palm trees without hurting itself'', guys!
** And the BigBad has more! There's even an unpowered glider housed inside a rocket that carries a HumongousMecha called the "[[SpiderTank Omnidroid]]". But other than its [[{{Pun}} incredible]] mass for an aircraft, there isn't much to speak of it since it demonstrates nothing else.
** The good guys, however, get a [[note]](quoth Helen Parker)[[/note]] "really fast" private jet. Although it's not up to [[{{Pun}} the incredible]] standards set by the rest of the other aircraft, it can do some very extreme maneuvers and, if really necessary, jettison flares to confuse [[AntiAir SAMs]] (note that this is [[ShownTheirWork something real military planes can do]] as well).
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}''. The first film has Rotor Turbosky, Strip "The King" Weathers' helicopter, [[PunnyName Barney Stormin]], a red and white biplane seen sponsoring the final race, and a quartet of fighter jets at the same race composing of Marco, Stu Bop, and two unnamed jets, while the sequel has Siddeley, Finn [=McMissile=]'s stealth fighter jet and his archenemies, the Lemons' BlackHelicopter, as well as Everett the passenger plane and an unnamed Samairai passenger plane. Even the spinoffs featured more aircraft: ''Rescue Squad Mater'' features a pair of rescue helicopters, ''Mater the Greater'' has Props [=McGee=], a blue and red stunt plane, ''UFM: Unidentified Flying Mater'' has Captain Munier the attack helicopter, and ''Air Mater'' has the Falcon Hawks.
%% ** The SpinOff film ''WesternAnimation/{{Planes}}'' features an entire cast of these.

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
* The Time Jets from ''Film/TheAdamProject'' are sleek black fighter jets capable of time-travel and carry a suite of magnetic-based technology such as DeflectorShield, InvisibilityCloak and [[MagneticWeapons gauss machine guns]].
%% * Cliff Secord's Gee Bee stunt plane in the opening and ending of ''Film/TheRocketeer''; Howard Hughes' autogyro later in the same film.
%% * The "Bubble Ship" from ''Film/{{Oblivion 2013}}''. Visually speaking, the drones, as well.
* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries''. The Blackbird in ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', of course. Stealthy and supersonic on the technical side, sleek and beautifully shaped on aesthetic side.
%% ** The future X-Jet, as usual in ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast''. [[spoiler:It ends up being destroyed to slow the Sentinels down.]]
* The titular hypersonic stealth fighter jet from Clint Eastwood's FilmOfTheBook ''Film/{{Firefox}}'' is considered by many to be the TropeMaker.
* The titular high-tech, stealth helicopter carrying a 20mm gatling gun from ''Film/BlueThunder''. All that and it was made for police services.
* The Batwing (called "The Bat") in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''. It's more akin to a FutureCopter.
--->'''Catwoman:''' My mother warned me about getting into cars with strange men.
--->'''Batman:''' This isn't a car.
* Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse

** ''[[Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague Justice League]]'': Batman designed and built a three-story plane called the ''Flying Fox'' for the League to serve as its transport and mobile HQ. He uses its missiles to punch a hole in the shield of Steppenwolf's base in the climax.
** ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'': The giant German bomber seen at the climax is clearly derived from a real-life example — the Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI, a biplane with a wingspan greater than that of a Boeing 737. And yes, it was built by the same Zeppelin company that made, well, Zeppelins.

* Film/JamesBond
%% ** ''Film/{{Thunderball}}'': A NATO Avro Vulcan carrying nuclear bombs is hijacked by a SPECTRE agent, then abandoned at the bottom of the sea after they retrieve the nukes.

** ''Film/DieAnotherDay'': [[BigBad Gustav Graves]] converted an Antonov 124-100 Ruslan into his flying headquarters.
** ''Film/NoTimeToDie'': In the climax, Nomi pilots a hi-tech folding glider (with Bond in the rear seat) that retracts its wings to convert into a submersible vehicle. This allows the [=MI6=] agents to access Safin's island base through an old World War II era submarine pen.

** In ''Film/TheAvengers2012'', the Quinjet is a fighter/troop carrier plane with articulated wings and turbines in the wings for VTOL, as well as a fleet of heavily armored fighters with similar VTOL wing turbines.

** ''Slightly'' more realistic is Tony Stark's private jet in ''Film/IronMan1.'' Comes with a wide-screen television, a fully equipped bar and luxurious leather seats, and the stewardesses double as strippers, complete with poles. And, of course, the Man himself.
** In ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', Tony also has a cool helicopter, which contains a storage and activation system for his latest Iron Man armor, as well as a hidden rear hatch so he can launch from it while it's in flight.
* The [=MiG=]-28 flown by the villains in ''Film/TopGun'', while in reality a Northrop F-5 with a (pardon the pun) jet-black paint scheme and [[RedsWithRockets red star]] markings, gave the heroes a serious run for their money and even terrorized one pilot so bad he resigns.
%% * And Graves' giant cargo plane, equipped with the controls for his satellite superlaser.
* ''Film/SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow'' (2004)
** The Royal Navy's amphibious squadron can [[TransformingMecha transform in mid-dive]] into submersibles armed with [[MacrossMissileMassacre cluster-torpedoes]]. They also have an EjectionSeat with built-in JetPack, leading to a [[{{Awesome/Film}} Crowning Moment Of Awesome]] for Angelina Jolie.

* The F/A-37 Talons from ''Stealth'', as well as the modified model used by EDI, or [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Extreme Deep Invader]]. Just how agile they are/can be is vividly highlighted by [[Awesome/{{Film}} the CMOA]] where EDI turns on a dime to track and shred a Sukhoi bird flying past.
* COBRA from ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra'' has a cool gunship that is not only agile, but ImmuneToBullets up to .50 cal and has [[MoreDakka the Dakka]] to [[PointDefenseless shoot missiles out of the air]]. They also have the Night Raven ([[NamesTheSame no relation to the]] ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' [[NamesTheSame bird]]), which [[CaptainErsatz looks rather like]] ''Film/{{Firefox}}'', does Mach 6 and has voice-operated weapons.
* In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', we have HYDRA's massive Flying Wing aircraft and rocket-powered helicopter, which were both based on actual designs from the period, even.
* ''Film/BigGame'' has Air Force One, with its self-defense system, luxurious travel conditions and space-capsule-esque escape pod.
* The "[[CuteAsABouncingBetty Little Nellie]]" autogyro from ''Film/YouOnlyLiveTwice''. [[KillItWithFire Flamethrowers?]] Check. [[MacrossMissileMassacre Missile pods?]] Check. Heatseekers? Check. ''[[StuffBlowingUp Aerial freaking MINES?]]'' Check and double-check. Oh, and don't be fooled by the fact that it [[BewareTheSillyOnes looks like a flimsy toy plane and can be packed into four suitcases;]] it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJdi-rNcEVc curb stomps four of SPECTRE's attack helicopters]] in a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome.
* The Super X-III in ''Film/GodzillaVsDestoroyah'' is one of the few human-built vehicles to go up against a Kaiju and come out the victor. Moreover, the Super X-III manages to do this ''twice''.
* The maneuverable, adjustable, submersible one-person fighter craft of ''Film/JupiterAscending'' outdo many of the space fighters out there.
* The titular ''Starlight One'' hypersonic sub-orbital passenger liner in the 1983 disaster MadeForTVMovie of the same name, based on experimental NASA spaceplane technology.
* ESD's H-8 Global Defender hybrid SpaceFighter from ''Film/IndependenceDayResurgence'' is a mixture of Earth and alien technology, best described as jet-shaped UFO. Their most notable feature is the anti-gravity drives, granting them VTOL capability along with greater maneuverability than any conventional planes. They are also equipped with plasma blasters capable of overpowering the Alien fighters' DeflectorShields, so they can take them on right on the go instead of having to disable the shields first.
* In ''Film/IndependenceDay'', the Black Knight Squadron flies F/A-18 hornets against the Invaders, and though [[CurbStompBattle they get massacred by the swarms defender craft in the first counter attack,]] [[AcePilot Captain Hiller manages to outmaneuver one of them,]] and cause it to crash. In the Second counter attack, it is President Withmore, himself an AcePilot, leading a rag-tag F/A-18 squadron to victory against a city destroyer.
* ''Film/TheLastDinosaur'': Masten Thrust's private jet, with its own inner trophy room complete with chimney (although where ''does'' the smoke goes to?).

** ''Film/{{Octopussy}}'': In the ActionPrologue, Bond uses a Acrostar Bede BD-5J mini-jet to escape and turn a [[HomingProjectile homing missile]] against the enemy base that launched it.

* The ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'' features the Quinjet, a fighter/troop carrier plane with articulated wings and turbines in the wings for VTOL, as well as a fleet of heavily armored fighters with similar VTOL wing turbines. ''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'' features quadjets, prototype predecessors to the quinjets (the biggest difference is that quadjets have, as the name suggests, four engines to the quinjet's five) -- one is even modified [[spoiler: with Skrull engineering]] into being fully space-capable.
* ''Slightly'' more realistic is Tony Stark's private jet in ''Film/IronMan1.'' Comes with a wide-screen television, a fully equipped bar and luxurious leather seats, and the stewardesses double as strippers, complete with poles. And, of course, the Man himself.

** ''VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere'' runneth over with Cool Planes, including the [[https://acecombat.fandom.com/wiki/XFA-36A_Game XFA-36A Game]], the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SR-91_Aurora UI-4054 Aurora]], the R-352 Sepia (a space fighter), the R-201v Asterozoa (a ''double artillery airplane''), the XR-900 Geopelia, and the X-49 Night Raven ([[spoiler: a SuperPrototype, piloted by a skilled IllGirl in the original version or a [[AIIsACrapshoot murderous AI]] in the export version]]. Just to hammer down the point, the Eurofighter Typhoon, prototyped in 1994 and saw service starting in 2003 (the game is released in 1999), ''is [[WithThisHerring the equivalent of flying a World War II airplane in-universe]]!''

* The Comicbook/XMen's trademark Blackbird. (See its inspiration, the SR-71, in the Real Life section). The first Blackbird was literally a modified SR-71, custom made by Lockheed. Which illustrates how [[{{Fiction500}} absurdly wealthy and well-connected]] Professor Xavier is. Later Blackbirds had little in common with the the SR-71, and incorporated [[ImportedAlienPhlebotinum Shi'ar technology]], but retained the name because by that point it had become an X-Men tradition.

** ''Anime/PorcoRosso'''s trademark red Savoia Marchetti S.21 seaplane and Curtis' Curtiss R3C racer are both actual historical aircraft (although the real Savoia S.21 was a biplane, not a monoplane) and would have been considered "cool" planes in their time.

** The [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Wing Gundam]]'s "Bird Mode" does the same thing, with its [[{{BFG}} Buster Rifle]] mounted on its nose. Ditto with the [[Main/MidSeasonUpgrade Wing Gundam Zero]]'s "Neo Bird Mode"

** From ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'', the FX-660 Skygrasper]] is one of the few non-transforming examples in the franchise, as it was built as a support fighter craft for the Strike Gundam, with built-in hardpoints for the latter's Striker Packs. It's also capable of [=VTOL=].

* Very prevalent in ''Franchise/Gundam''. Usually when there's a TransformingMecha, it will either be this trope (most of the time referred to as a "Flight Mode",) a SpacePlane, or both, depending on the application of MinovskyPhysics in the setting. Among the notable examples:

* The Saviour Gundam piloted by Athrun Zala in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'' can turn into a fighter. There are also the Skygrasper planes on board the Archangel, which can equip the same Striker Packs the Strike Gundam does.

** ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies'' gave us the X-02 Wyvern, who came back upgraded as the X-02S Strike Wyvern in ''VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown'' with it's folding wings and later [[spoiler: railgun]] as his main gimmick.
** The Arkbird from ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar''. Though you don't get to fly it, you do get to use it as a KillSat.
** Being the first ''Ace Combat'' game following the game's timeline, ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'' gave us the granddaddies of the fictional planes of the series : the ADFX-01 Morgan and his upgraded version, the ADFX-02. Sadly, you can only fly the former, which is still an absolute blast. Both planes are so utterly off-balance, that the 01 can actually complete several entire missions with a single subweapon shot. And if the 01, for balance reasons, only carries one of said subweapons (either a massive bomb, a laser cannon or a missile spoofing system), the 02 has ''all three''.
** ''VideoGame/AceCombat6FiresOfLiberation'' has the CFA-44 Nosferatu. The plane nearly ruined the economy of it's native country due to it's development costs and for good reason: top-tier stats, able to fire up to ''twelve'' missiles at the same time, to adapt it's stealth camouflage to spoof almost any radar and goes into battle accompanied by twin railguns ''and'' a small squadron of [[AttackDrone attack drones]]­.

** Despite taking place in the real world, ''VideoGame/AceCombatJointAssault'' and ''VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizon'' gave us the GAF-1 Varcolac and the ASF-X Shinden II respectively. The former, despite it's enormous size and goofy looks (it looks like a guitar viewed from above) flies like an angel. The latter was designed by Creator/ShojiKawamori himself and would fit right at home, performance and looks wise, ''Macross'' episode. However, for obvious reasons, it can't transform into a mech.
** Considering the role played by [[AttackDrones drones]] in real warfare, ''Ace Combat'' also has several Cool [=UAVs=]. Starting with [[AIIsACrapshoot Zone of Endless]] in ''Ace Combat 2'', which used existing planes remote controlled by an ArtificialIntelligence, the series gave us the Malgebolg (the support drones of the above-mentionned Nosferatu), the Quox and it's bigger brother the Quox Bis (the support drones of the ''VideoGame/AceCombatInfinity'' version of the Nosferatu, itself AI-controlled) and the so far culmination of the drone warfare in the series, in ''VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown'': [[spoiler: the ADF-11(and it's prototype, the ADFX-10), able to go toe-to-toe with the best pilots of the world and, if needs arise, update their strategies in real time to counter a dangerous foe ''and'' detach from their main body to gain speed and agility in order to escape]].

** From the same series is the gunship known as ''Nozo'', a modified C-5 that takes the gunship UpToEleven, as it is armed with a full 21 GAU-8 Avengers. Its companion plane, the rather spectacularly colored ''Bozo'', is fitted with a bewildering array of machine guns, Gatling guns, rocket launchers, and artillery pieces; said plane becomes the setpiece for an entire novel when it crashes in Vietnam and has to defend itself from constant human wave attacks.

** The [[GlassCannon Idle Sniper]] (I-Gear) is a high-speed dogfighter which can be tuned towards evasiveness or raw destructive power; their signature skills [[MacrossMissileMassacre Berserk and Frenzy lets them rip loose with missiles, lots of them]], while [[EverythingsBetterWithSpinning Chain Rolling]] lets them do continuous [[MemeticMutation Barrel Rolls]].

** ''VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere'' runneth over with Cool Planes, including the [[https://acecombat.fandom.com/wiki/XFA-36A_Game XFA-36A Game]], the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SR-91_Aurora UI-4054 Aurora]], the R-352 Sepia (a space fighter), the R-201v Asterozoa (a ''double artillery airplane''), the XR-900 Geopelia, and the X-49 Night Raven ([[spoiler: a SuperPrototype, piloted by a skilled IllGirl in the original version or a [[AIIsACrapshoot murderous AI]] in the export version]]. Just to hammer down the point, the Eurofighter Typhoon, which is one of the Coolest Planes in RealLife nowadays, ''is [[WithThisHerring one of the lamest planes in the game]]!''

** Being the first ''Ace Combat'' game following the game's timeline, ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'' gave us the granddaddies of the fictional planes of the series : the ADFX-01 Morgan and his upgraded version, the ADFX-02. Sadly, you can only fly the former, which is still an absolute blast. Both planes are so utterly degenerate, the 01 can actually complete several entire missions with a single subweapon shot. And if the 01, for balance reasons, only carries one of said subweapons (either a massive bomb, a laser cannon or a missile spoofing system), the 02 has ''all three''.

** Despite taking place in the real world, ''VideoGame/AceCombatJointAssault'' and ''VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizon'' gave us the GAF-1 Varcolac and the ASF-X Shinden II respectively. The former, despite it's enormous size and goofy looks (it looks like a guitar viewed from above) flies like an angel. The latter was designed by Creator/ShojiKawamori himself and would fit right at home, performance and looks wise, ''Macross'' episode. Sadly, it can't transform into a mech.

** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Not only is it an early version of stealth technology, it can travel at least 2,000 m.p.h. or 40 miles/second, be summoned/controlled telepathically, travel into space and even to other dimensions. This was also before Wondy had been given the ability to fly herself, removing the usual question for why she needs a plane.