Key Points and Summary: The F-35 Lightning II has transformed electronic warfare by integrating advanced EW capabilities into a stealthy, multi-role platform.
-Unlike legacy aircraft like the EA-6B Prowler and EA-18G Growler, the F-35’s AN/ASQ-239 system provides real-time threat analysis, jamming, and reconnaissance while seamlessly performing combat roles.
-Block 4 upgrades enhance its ability to counter modern radar and communication threats, with increased processing power and new electronic attack options.
-These capabilities make the F-35 crucial for joint operations and missions against advanced adversaries, solidifying its position as a key asset for NATO and allied air forces.
F-35: From Stealth Fighter to Electronic Warfare Powerhouse
The F-35 has proven to be the world’s go-to fifth-generation stealth fighter.
And while its stealth capabilities are arguably its most well-known, it is also a potent electronic warfare, or EW, platform.
Electronic Warfare
The history of the United States electronic warfare aircraft before the F-35 is marked by notable platforms such as the EA-6B Prowler and the EA-18G Growler.
The EA-6B Prowler, introduced into service in the early 1970s, was the dedicated electronic attack aircraft for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, designed to suppress enemy radar and communications and provide jamming and electronic intelligence capabilities.
The aircraft proved its worth during the Gulf War and the Iraq War, where it excelled, degrading adversary air defense systems’ effectiveness.
Its successor, the EA-18G Growler, entered service in the late 2000s, leveraging the F/A-18 Super Hornet airframe.
The Growler expanded on the Prowler’s capabilities with advanced jamming pods, real-time situational awareness, and integration with Navy and Marine Corps information networks, making the jet a crucial asset for air campaigns against enemy air defenses and other EW assets.
Enter the F-35
The introduction of the F-35 Lightning II represented a shift in electronic warfare strategy.
With its introduction, electronic warfare moved beyond dedicated EW aircraft to a multi-role fighter capable of performing advanced electronic attack and defense tasks with more traditional combat roles.
The F-35 integrates a sophisticated electronic warfare suite centered around the AN/ASQ-239 system.
This system provides threat analyses in real-time, jams enemy radar, and can provide electronic warfare support.
However, unlike the Prowler and Growler, the F-35’s EW capabilities are not confined to a specific type of mission.
Instead, they are embedded within the stealthy platform, allowing the F-35 to conduct electronic warfare in highly contested environments.
The F-35’s integration of EW capabilities allows the jet to detect and interfere with enemy radar systems, jamming communications, and provide situational awareness while engaging targets in the air or on the ground.
Strategic Role
The F-35’s EW capabilities are critical to the U.S. military’s broader operational strategy.
By combining stealth, advanced sensors, and electronic warfare, the F-35 enhances the effectiveness of joint operations.
Its ability to operate in electronic attack, reconnaissance, and defensive roles gives commanders greater flexibility in planning and executing missions.
Additionally, the F-35’s networked systems allow it to share electronic warfare data across platforms, enhancing situational awareness and coordination.
This level of integration with other assets in the air or at sea would play a particularly potent role against peer or near-peer adversaries with advanced air defenses — and is one reason the jet has proven a popular export to NATO countries on Russia’s doorstep.
Block 4 Upgrades
The most recent upgrade to the F-35’s EW capabilities comes with Block 4 software and hardware enhancements.
These Block 4 upgrades expand the F-35’s ability to counter newer threats, including more advanced radar systems and communication networks.
The Block 4 package also incorporates increased processing power, updated sensors, and new but unspecified electronic attack options.
The full extent of upgraded capabilities contained within Block Four is now known publicly.
By integrating modern electronic warfare technology into a single, multi-role stealth platform, the F-35 offers a significant jump in capabilities compared to legacy EW platforms.
The jet’s broad introduction into service represents a step-change in how the United States Navy and Marine Corps conduct electronic warfare.
F-35: A Story in Photos

U.S. Air Force Maj. Kristin “BEO” Wolfe, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team pilot and commander, flies during the 2021 Reno Air Races, Reno, Nev., Sept. 18, 2021. The 2021 Reno Air Races featured performances from the U.S. Air Force F-35A Demo Team and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)

F-35 Elephant Walk

Canada F-35. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

F-35I Adir Fighter from Israel

The F-35 Lightning II Demo Team flown by Commander, Maj. Kristin “BEO” Wolfe, performs during the 2023 Gowen Thunder Open House and Airshow at Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho, August 27, 2023. The purpose of Gowen Thunder was to provide a safe and memorable community event that thanks Idaho’s citizens, employers, and community partners for their unwavering support; promote patriotism, service, and volunteerism; and ignite the imagination of the next generation. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech Sgt. Mercedee Wilds)

LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. – Col. (ret) Jim Greenwald, previous 944th Fighter Wing commander, flies his F-35 Lightning II over the state of Arizona, June 3, 2021. The 944th FW is the Air Force Reserve Command’s most diverse fighter wing as it’s the only wing that trains on four different airframes: the F-35 Lightning II, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-15E Strike Eagle, and the A-10 Thunderbolt II. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Tech Sgt. Nestor Cruz)

A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II, assigned to the 187th Fighter Wing takes off at Dannelly Field, Ala., Aug. 6, 2024. The 187th Fighter Wing participated in Northern Lightning, a joint training exercise, emphasizing user-defined objectives resulting in tailored, scenario-based, full spectrum, high-end training.
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.

RunwayRht
January 18, 2025 at 12:18 pm
Glad to read pod news on on this aircraft
I was one of of the proponents trying to inform the haters on this bird sure the typical talking points of military spending critics are so many but always ask what cost , price , level do we go through to keep the bad actors at bay ??
Just enough to get by or a little more or a lot more because when hell hits the worlds fan
your going to wish a deterrent was ready!
Then it’s far too late my friends and people die! Good people die !
develop it now ! perfect it now because we are littered with preying leaders of the Earths underbelly that HATE the USA & other Democracies just a fact. That aircraft is an enormous game changer look what Israel did with this platform and at a distance they have never ventured your on their turf on their well planned and sighted missile ranges and coverages every approach covered with multiple layers high and low the best Russian air defense platforms available and Israeli pilots
in F-35s decimated the air defense dome around high value targets any other aircraft would have taken definite losses !!! Pilots human trained valuable women and men
what price is not enough on those heads.
So cut funding, cut research , cut EW , cut stealth coatings and you get dead pilots
yes use unmanned yes Ai yes UAV all of it
that takes $$$$ . Find the waste in all the programs and offices created that do nothing
we all know there are that alone can lower defense spending.
Good work Caleb.