Posted on 11/25/2025 8:00:52 AM PST by Mariner
The American F-35 stealth fighters that participated in the Operation Midnight Hammer strikes on Iran flew hundreds of miles deep into its airspace and were the last ones out, US military commanders revealed this week.
F-35A Lightning II aircraft assigned to the Utah-based 388th Fighter Wing escorted the B-2 Spirit stealth bombers that dropped over a dozen heavy bunker-buster bombs on Iran's nuclear facilities in late June.
The F-35s suppressed Iran's air defenses and cleared the way for other combat aircraft, including the seven B-2s, during the complex nighttime operation.
"We flew hundreds of miles into Iran, escorting the B-2s the entire way," Lt. Col. Aaron Osborne, commander of the 34th Fighter Squadron, shared in a US Air Force story. "We employed weapons to great effect against multiple surface-to-air missile sites."
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
When did we declare war on Iran?
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Iran declared war on the US in 1978. We never reciprocated.
We all know the F-35 isn’t perfect...at least those of us who pay attention to these things.
But as a stealth fighter/bomber that can carry its ordnance internally and remain stealthy, it is a leader.
And what people in general don’t understand (again, at least outside of those of us who pay attention to these things) is that the F-35 has peerless datalinking capability.
The helmet and optical sensor system is crazy. I have been told that it electronically subtracts the airplane structure from what the pilot sees, so they can look directly between their legs at the floor of the cockpit and see the ground or targets below. If that is true, amazing.
Now, I don’t like a $1.5 million dollar helmet. But it is what it is. And many people may well be correct in judging that the F-35 may be the last manned fighter. (I heard a US Admiral who was responsible for overseeing the design and construction for the USS Gerald Ford on behalf of the US Navy, a very sober and thoughtful guy, giving a lecture where he said, without missing a beat or even appearing to think what he was saying was controversial, that the F-35 would be the last manned fighter for the US Navy. So the US Navy must apparently be working along those lines)
As for the F-35s, I had to laugh after watching a video that described how Sweden, invited to Red Flag, “totally humiliated the F-35 by taking an unorthodox approach to get close to them with its Gripen fighters and shot them down. Basically, jamming the sensors, coming in low, etc.
The video was funny to me, as it sounded like someone with a total inferiority complex describing how he managed to beat the dominant big guy who is bigger than him at least once. The narrator spent the entire time denigrating the F-35 and pumping up the Gripen (which does appear to be a competent, comparatively cheap alternative)
My thought was: What does this guy think they do Red Flag exercises for? To just show off the weaponry? These exercises are planned a certain way, conducted, and broken down exhaustively to highlight weaknesses in hardware or doctrine, which are then addressed if it is possible to do so.
I heard a pilot, when asked about the alleged mediocre performance of an F-35 against even an F-16 or F-15, previous generation fighters in a turn and burn fight, opined: “If you are flying in an F-35 and find yourself in a dogfight, you have failed.”
I spoke a few years back to a pilot who had flown nearly every fighter in the US inventory from the A-4 Skyhawk to the F-15 Eagle as we sat in his study with plaques from various US fighter schools and squadrons on the walls. He told me he was currently flying trans-Pacific 787 flights as a civilian pilot, and I asked him if he had ever flown an F-35. It was wholly apparent to me that the guy was an accomplished fighter pilot. He said he had not, but had flown against them in exercises in a National Guard F-16. I asked him what that was like, and he said: “It was like being a baby seal.”
We do need to improve the acquisition process, as the F-35 was designed in the 1990s, and even though it was designed to be very upgradable, a fighter designed now would be quite different and, I am sure, quite better. But that is the acquisitional tail we have to live with.
To put it into context Tripoli declared war on the U.S. (by chopping down the flagpole at the U.S. consulate in early 1801 (Barbary Pirates).
On May 14, 1801, Commodore Richard Dale’s squadron was ordered by President Jefferson to the Mediterranean to “protect our commerce & chastise their insolence—by sinking, burning or destroying their ships & vessels wherever you shall find them” if any Barbary state had declared war on the U.S.
Jefferson deliberately acted without asking Congress for a declaration of war, arguing that as commander-in-chief he had the authority to repel force with force (defensive action), even though the squadron was clearly sent on an offensive mission (“chastise their insolence”).
Congress subsequently approved the action, about a year later.
Pretty much set the precedent here.
Hahahahaha...you. beat me to it!
Yes, see my post above...
It certainly has that potential
Oops 😬🙊
“pussy footing around in Ukraine”
Neither side is “pussy footing around.”
I believe the Russians have brought a new method to bear.
Stupidity in the Russian military has to a large extent been blown away, literarily.
“Since the 1990s, Russia has invested in radar systems capable of detecting stealth aircraft designed to evade conventional radars. Particular attention has been paid to systems operating in the VHF (Very High Frequency) band, whose physical characteristics reduce the effectiveness of modern stealth techniques. These radars use wavelengths between 1 and 10 meters (30 to 300 MHz), much higher than those of X-band radars, which changes the behavior of waves when they hit stealth surfaces.”
“The Nebo-M (55Zh6M) is a multiband radar complex developed by NNIIRT, designed to operate simultaneously in the VHF, UHF, and L bands. It is a modular system capable of processing and merging data from multiple sensors. The VHF radar carried by the Nebo-M, designated RLM-M, can detect targets at over 300 kilometers, even if they have a radar cross section (RCS) of less than 0.01 m², as is the case with the F-35 on a head-on approach.”
“The JY-27A is an AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) VHF radar developed by the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC). Unlike conventional VHF radars with rotating antennas, the JY-27A uses an electronically scanned antenna that allows for very fast response times and better resistance to jamming. Thanks to its active phased array, it can detect air targets at ranges of over 500 kilometers, including those with an RCS of less than 0.01 m², such as the F-35 on a head-on approach.”
“the Chinese doctrine is based on multi-level integration”
“ground-based radars of all bands;
airborne radars (such as the KJ-500);
orbital sensors”
https://www.flyajetfighter.com/the-f-35-facing-russian-and-chinese-vhf-radars-stealth-under-threat/
The story of their flight is truly amazing. Such dedication. Hope we gave each of the pilots a million dollars and a big hug and medals up the kazoo.
Sure those radars can DETECT a stealth aircraft. It will let the operators know the aircraft direction, range and approximate speed.
But they are not exact.
And ALL targeting radars use X band on up for precision and space requirements. That’s what stealth is designed to defeat, and it does it well.
So, an enemy could know there is incoming aircraft (not an exact number) and know which direction to send their interceptors. But that’s about it. They can’t shoot it.
If Israel did not exist we still would have taken out Iran’s nuke program...
We are not and never had been at war with Iran. We took out their nuclear capabilities.
If you can go to the flight line and find one in working order, great. Most of them are in the shop for something.
Invisible so long as all stores stay inside.
F35s function as a distributed, stealthy network of mini-AWACS nodes.
In the Pacific theater of WWII, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero could easily defeat the F6f, the Corsair, and the P-38 in a turn and burn fight. So the Allied pilots, relying on their superior speed, altitude, and climbing ability, engaged in boom and zoom tactics, effectively clearing the skies of Zeros.
The Allies in Europe used the same tactics against the legendary German pilots.
You are correct. The vaunted Russian anti-aircraft systems fail to target stealth aircraft.
Yep, only a 51.5% readiness rate in 2024.
Outrageous.
Factors contributing to the low readiness rate
Lack of spare parts: There are shortages of the necessary parts to repair the jets.
Maintenance challenges: Maintenance personnel are not always properly trained, and the supply chain for parts is not meeting demand.
System underperformance: Issues have been reported with specific components, such as the Power and Thermal Management System.
Long depot repair times: The time it takes to complete major repairs at a depot is a significant factor in keeping aircraft out of service.
Increase in the number of jets: As the Air Force acquired more jets, the demand on the maintenance and supply system increased, exacerbating existing issues.
The procurement and maintenance infrastructure appears to the main culprit.
However, it requires fewer maintenance hours per flight hour that the F-16 and F-15.
The readiness problem is not a problem with the aircraft.
The F-35 program does not currently meet its own readiness/availability goals.
Readiness rates in the 50-60% range mean roughly half of the fleet may not be ready at any given time.
Fixing sustainment and supply issues is essential to improve these rates.
In contrast, the Israeli Air Force with its F-35I “Adir” variant reportedly operated around 90% readiness under certain conditions.
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