From the Yemeni missile intercepted and shot down in Israel to the confirmation of the effectiveness of close air supportF-35 Joint Strike Fighter proves to be a true weapon of the future and strikes any doubts the past. The Israeli Air Force said this was the case A cruise missile was launched yesterdayprobably launched by the Houthi rebels via a carrier in Yemen and documented the “first successful intercept” in combat by a fifth-generation F-35 fighter classified by the Israelis with the name “Adir”: one of the names, which Judaism attributes to God.
The cruise missile was reportedly detected and tracked by Israeli air defense systems as it flew on a course from the southwest when it was “about to enter the airspace” of the Jewish state; This led to the immediate launch of the F-35I Adir, which intercepted them and shot down them with air-to-air missiles of the “self-seeking” type with infrared search for heat sources or with “active radar guidance”, that is, equipped with a search radar system targets. So American-made Aim-9x Sidewinder or Aim-120 Slammer missiles. The video released to document the shootdown – we repeat “the first of its kind” in combat – comes from the electro-optical targeting system of the latest generation fighter aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin. Fighter aircraft used by most of the air components of the Bornincluding our Air Force and Navy.
The Pictures They clearly show the body of the cruise missile racing towards the target before being launched. The shape, short wings and trail of the propellant charge were enough to identify a weapon consistent with the weapons they used Houthi rebels which are armed by Tehran.
This success of the F-35 is documented at the same time as some revelations from Pentagon reports that attribute adequate but not complete effectiveness to the Joint Strike Fighter in competition with the old and robust ones A-10 Warthog complex and dangerous task of providing the so-called Close air support to the land forces. As a particularly sophisticated aircraft, the F-35 has never been used for close air support, a task usually entrusted to more outdated aircraft carriers such as the A-10, F-16 and F/A-18. The F-35 will gradually take over. The withdrawal of the A-10C Warthogs from the US Air Force remains uncertain.
Recent reports declassified and published by the Pentagon appear to give confidence to the F-35, which has performed well in competition with the old A-10C – apparently not in taking hits like the “flying warthog” used for over twenty years. in the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan – in tests conducted in “low and medium threat environments.” The pilots of F-35 versions A, B and C have reported a good number of successes in eliminating targets using the tactics used by A-10 pilots and more advanced tactics which are guaranteed by the most modern instruments that their devices boast, proving that they can achieve the set goal by eliminating the threat “with a few more missions”. So several times. In some cases, however, a single attack from the old and proven A-10 proved decisive.
The Conclusions of US Air Force reports – whether influenced by industry interests or not – appear to be focused on the certainty that: “The future force [dell’F-35] will inherently be capable of close air support and have multi-role capabilities to ensure survivability in all scenarios Degree of hostility A theater of operations will in any case order the gradual abandonment of old aircraft: “Even if successful in permissive environments, the A-10 is not capable of surviving in a hard-fought future battle.” The F-35 is therefore operational Fight in this role too. It will only be a matter of years.