Alwaght- The US Air Force has finally flown its variant of the F-35 in combat in Iraq, nearly three years after it declared the fifth-generation combat aircraft fit for combat duty.
Americans reportedly used two F-35A Lightning II aircraft to take out an ISIS tunnel network and weapons cache in Iraq's Wadi Ashai on April 30
"The F-35As conducted the airstrike using a Joint Direct Attack Munition to strike an entrenched ISIS tunnel network and weapons cache deep in the Hamrin Mountains, a location able to threaten friendly forces,” the statement said.
"This strike marked the F-35A’s first combat employment".
Fifteen years after Lockheed Martin won the contract to make the plane, the US Air Force declared F-35As ready for deployment in August 2016. It then took nearly three years to use the fifth-generation combat aircraft in warfare. Israeli regime beat the US to it by becoming the first in the world to carry out an “operational attack” using the stealth fighter last May.
Despite the two confirmed combat missions, the flagship stealth jets continue to suffer technical problems.
In April, a Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-35A stealth fighter crashed off the coast of Japan. The ill-fated plane had issues with its cooling and navigation systems prior to the crash, Japan’s Ministry of Defense revealed, exposing other issues related to the fuel and hydraulics systems of its F35A fleet.
The F-35 series has been marred with controversies over its frequent delays in development, excessive costs, and multiple technical flaws. A 2018 report from the US Government Accountability Office found that the program had more than 960 “open deficiencies” that needed to be resolved. In February, a Pentagon report revealed even more issues with the plane, including problems with its gun and the fact that its operational lifespan turned out to be much lower than planned.
