F-35 stealth fighter sees first combat, in Israeli operation

[Eugene]

Source: BBC

F-35 stealth fighter sees first combat, in Israeli operation

22 May 2018

The US-made F-35 stealth fighter has seen its first ever combat action, flying in an operation for the Israeli air force.

The air force chief showed an image of jets over Beirut, Lebanon, and said the planes had "already attacked twice on two different fronts".

Israel recently carried out scores of air strikes in Syria.

The F-35, from the world's priciest military programme, has been criticised both for cost and combat effectiveness.

Last year, Defence Secretary James Mattis had to defend the programme after then President-elect Donald Trump tweeted criticising its huge price, said to be close to $100m (£74m) per plane.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-44210403

[Docreed2003]

1. Guess it wasn't raining

Last I heard that shit couldn't fly in the rain!

[zipplewrath]

2. Your knowledge is a bit dated

And is a bit inaccurate as well. It had to do with lightining, not rain.

In early 2015, even before the F-35 was certified to fly in lightning storms, an F-35C (test aircraft CF-8) was accidentally hit by lightning while on approach to land at Eglin AFB. The result? Nothing; the plane landed fine, nothing was showing any warnings and no systems were damaged.

Even back in 2013, the Netherlands’ first F-35 was used to stress test aircraft subsystems and was subjected to ‘865 simulated low level “lightning strikes”’, with no damage to the aircraft, all systems working appropriately and the reactions matching simulations.

There's a difference between being "certified" to do something, and actually not being able to do it.

[Docreed2003]

3. I get it...it was more of a joke than serious commentary

The F-35 has been a boondoggle from the get go

[zipplewrath]

4. Not exactly

It is the last human piloted "fighter" jet that will ever be made. As such, they specified every possible thing that they could ever hope for in pursuit of a plane that would last beyond their years. As with so many things, it is the last gasp and an over reaction.