In a major event that has drawn global attention, Iran has become the first country in the world to shoot down fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighter jets. These aircraft, considered among the most advanced and expensive warplanes ever built, were being used by the Israeli military in an early Friday morning attack against Iran. ... This successful action by Iran marks a global first -- no other country has been able to bring down these stealth aircraft in active combat until now.
Israel, one of the few countries allowed to buy and use this aircraft, received its first F-35 jets around the year 2016. These were provided by the United States under a program called the Foreign Military Sales (FMS). Israel later developed its own version of the aircraft, known as the F-35I, which includes special changes to better suit its military needs.
That is why the downing of not one, but two of these jets by Iran is a very big deal. It shows that even the most advanced aircraft in the world are not impossible to stop.
Yeah. Not buying it. One of the first casualties in any war is the truth. I will wait for a trusted source to verify this. I have "flown" a simulator of the F35. It only remains stealthy until the bomb bay doors open. The aircraft can do other things to break stealth. But that would be considered pilot error in a combat situation.
#4 | Posted by donnerboy
Yeah, an incredibly small radar cross section, equivalent to a golf ball is what I read. The only confirmed downing of a stealth aircraft was the F-117 in 1999 in Yugoslavia. But my understanding is that was mostly the fault of the US because we got careless, using the same route for repeat bombing runs, so the enemy knew exactly where to look.
The thing is, Israel is said to have altered the F-35 from the "factory model," adding external fuel tanks to extend range to eliminate the need for aerial refueling when visiting their Iranian buddies. No idea how that affected the stealthiness of the aircraft.
The Chinese claim to have the tech to detect the F-35 using their satellites to follow exhaust plumes, not the actual jet. www.slashgear.com Who knows how true that is, though?
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