High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The English Electric Lightning is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, noted for its great speed and unpainted natural metal exterior finish. It is the only all-British Mach 2 fighter aircraft. The aircraft was renowned for its capabilities as an interceptor; Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots described it as "being saddled to a skyrocket".English Electric was later incorporated into the British Aircraft Corporation, later marques being developed and produced as the BAC Lightning.