{"id":135581,"date":"2018-05-24T07:26:41","date_gmt":"2018-05-24T07:26:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/05\/24\/israel-just-showed-that-the-f-35-can-fight-so-whats-next\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:58:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:58:04","slug":"israel-just-showed-that-the-f-35-can-fight-so-whats-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/05\/24\/israel-just-showed-that-the-f-35-can-fight-so-whats-next\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel just showed that the F-35 can fight. So what\u2019s next?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LONGYEARBYEN, Norway \u2014 Israel\u2019s first-ever use of the F-35 during airstrikes over the Middle East may help the jet fight off <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2018\/03\/06\/stealth-features-responsible-for-half-of-f-35-defects-lockheed-program-head-states\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">persistent criticisms<\/a> that it\u2019s a boondoggle that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/kadena-air-base\/2018\/03\/27\/how-is-the-f-35-improving-its-dogfighting-skills-in-japan\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">can\u2019t hack it in combat<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But don\u2019t expect immediate changes to manufacturer Lockheed Martin\u2019s bottom line or for other F-35 users to rush the plane into warzones, experts told Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Israel Air Force head Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin announced on Tuesday during an IAF conference that the aircraft had already participated in two airstrikes over the Middle East, making Israel the first country to operate an F-35 in combat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Adir planes are already operational and flying in operational missions. We are the first in the world to use the F-35 in operational activity,\u201d he said, according to a tweet by the Israel Defense Forces\u2019 official Twitter account. Adir is the IAF\u2019s designation for its F-35s and means \u201cMighty One.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Norkin also showed a photo of the aircraft flying over Beirut, Lebanon, reported <a href=\"https:\/\/www.haaretz.com\/israel-news\/with-iran-in-syria-israel-launched-world-s-first-air-strike-using-f-35-stealth-fighters-1.6110706\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">the news outlet Haaretz<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/breaking-news\/2018\/05\/22\/the-f-35-just-made-its-combat-debut\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"167\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Adir.jpg_86db19.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">The F-35 just made its combat debut<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Israel Defense Forces announced on its Twitter account that the Israeli version of the aircraft, using its \u201cAdir\u201d moniker was used in operational missions.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst with the Teal Group, called the IAF\u2019s use of the F-35 in combat \u201cthe best endorsement the F-35 can get\u201d and said it would be particularly useful going forward in Syria. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Syria conflict calls for careful targeting and maximum survivability, the F-35\u2019s two strongest attributes. It has its limits, but in this contingency it should excel,\u201d he said. \u201cIt certainly provides other users and potential customers with a high level of confidence that the aircraft and its systems work in real world conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Israel has a long history of sending its aircraft into combat soon after it becomes operational. Legendary IAF pilot Moshe Marom-Melnik became the first person to shoot down an enemy aircraft with the F-15 in 1979, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flightglobal.com\/news\/articles\/israeli-f-35is-make-combat-debut-with-two-air-strike-448789\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">FlightGlobal reported<\/a>. Meanwhile, it took until Operation Desert Storm in 1991 for the U.S. Air Force to do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Israel has a new platform, it uses it as rapidly as possible so pilots can increase their skills, said Abraham Assael, a retired IAF brigadier general and CEO of the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s a great platform with a lot of capabilities. So we try to get the maximum of it. And I feel they are doing the upmost to do it well and professionally, because it\u2019s a process to learn the machine and induct it within the air force. It\u2019s not an easy task,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aboulafia said the F-35\u2019s real-world experience could have an impact for Lockheed Martin in markets like Canada, Japan or the United Kingdom, which are publicly or reportedly considering alternatives to the F-35.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, Assael said he didn\u2019t know whether the milestone would have much of an affect on F-35 sales to Israel. The country is still deciding whether to expand its F-35 order beyond the 50 jets under contract or to buy more F-15s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is a discussion nowadays within the air force and within the IDF [on] where is the best investment,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t know. I really don\u2019t know.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What the event means for U.S. use of the jet in the Middle East is also hard to say. One Marine Corps\u2019 F-35B squadron, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 arrives at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, has found a permanent home at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan. The Air Force has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2017\/04\/19\/the-f-35a-is-in-england-whats-next\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">temporarily deployed its F-35As to England<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/singapore-airshow\/2018\/02\/05\/f-35-put-through-its-paces-in-first-asia-pacific-deployment\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">Japan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, service leaders have not detailed immediate plans to send the F-35 to the Middle East. Gen. Herbert \u201cHawk\u201d Carlisle, a former head of Air Combat Command, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2017\/02\/24\/air-force-anticipates-f-35-deployment-to-middle-east-in-not-too-distant-future\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">said in 2017<\/a> that he believed such an event could take place in the \u201cnot too distant future,\u201d but current Air Force leadership have not raised the issue publicly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just because the IAF have now proven that the joint strike fighter can be used successfully in the region doesn\u2019t mean the U.S. military will be rushing to deploy the F-35 to Central Command, said David Deptula, a former Air Force lieutenant general and currently the dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEach of the countries that possess operational F-35s will use them to further their individual national security needs \u2014 those most likely will be different and will not necessarily affect one another,\u201d he told Defense News. \u201cThat said, the first combat use of the F-35 confirms its operational utility and insights will be gained as a result.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Don&#8217;t expect the United States to quickly follow Israel&#8217;s example when it comes to deploying its F-35s in combat, experts said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":114356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":88,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[29,117,15,88],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3297],"class_list":["post-135581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-your-military"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"MALTEFWKLVF4VMTZLMN5SQAEDQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/air\/2018\/05\/24\/israel-just-showed-that-the-f-35-can-fight-so-whats-next\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Israel just showed that the F-35 can fight. 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