Article Summary and 5 Key Points: Israel’s F-35I Adir has proven its effectiveness in combat, penetrating Iranian airspace and neutralizing advanced Russian-made air defenses.
-Despite claims that Iranian radar “locked onto” Israeli jets, no aircraft were lost, and Israel successfully targeted Iran’s ballistic missile production and a nuclear research facility.
-The Adir features Israeli-made electronic warfare and weapons integration, making it uniquely suited for precision strikes.
-The aircraft’s ability to launch attacks from over 100 miles away while evading sophisticated air defenses reinforces its role as a dominant fifth-generation fighter.
-The F-35I’s success highlights the growing obsolescence of traditional air defense systems against stealth aircraft.
How Israel’s F-35I Adir Proved Its Power in Combat
Israel’s version of the F-35, the F-35I Adir, has more than proved its worth despite the hefty price tag and the worries about its performance. After the Iranians launched more than 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in October, a year after the deadly Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) launched a devastating attack on Iran, destroying the air defenses.
Many critics still point out the F-35’s price and supposed “flaws.” However, the United States’ allies are lining up to buy one. That alone would cause even the harshest critics to pause and ask, why would so many countries line up to buy a flawed aircraft?
Meet The F-35I Adir
The F-35I Adir (The Mighty One) is a fifth-generation Israeli variant of the F-35 Lightning II. The F-35 is an American-manufactured, single-seat, single-engine, supersonic stealth strike fighter built by Lockheed Martin.
The F-35 is a multi-role combat aircraft designed for air superiority and strike missions. It also has electronic warfare, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. Russia is promoting the Su-57 as a better aircraft than the F-35. However, as recent events in the Middle East have shown, the F-35I is nearly unstoppable.
The aircraft has three main variants: the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35A, the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B, and the carrier variant (CV) catapult-assisted takeoff but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) F-35C.
In 2010, the Israelis purchased the F-35 from the United States and wanted to install their own electronic warfare systems into the Lightning’s built-in electronic suite. They wanted a plug-and-play feature added to the main computer to allow for the use of Israeli electronics as add-ons and to fit its own external jamming pod.
At first, the US objected to any modifications to the Lightning II, but in 2011, it relented. Lockheed Martin constructed the aircraft, which was then sent to Israel, where Israeli electronic systems were installed. In addition, the US allowed Israel to mount its missiles. The Israeli variant might just be even better than the original design.
Some of these changes involved specific countermeasures and sensors, such as helmet-mounted displays and other data-gathering and processing capabilities, that were particular to Israel’s needs.
Pilots can use the platform’s electronics suite to jam enemy anti-aircraft weapons’ guidance systems and electronics. Israel insisted on being involved in manufacturing the F-35, and now it produces the outer wing and the electronic sensors.
The Jamming Controversy And Why It Is False
Immediately after the Israeli airstrikes in Iran on October 25-26, multiple “news sites” bought the Iranian story that the airstrikes did very little damage. International military analysts reported that the impact of Israel’s airstrikes was minimal, with only minor damage sustained at the targeted military sites due to the air-launched ballistic missile strikes.
Some even commented on the “failure” of Israel to inflict widespread destruction on Iran. Others went so far as to say that Israeli Air Force’s F-35 ‘Adir’ stealth fighters were ‘locked on’ by Iran’s air defense radar while they were still in Iraqi airspace, en route to Iran’s border,” stated one intelligence source.
“At that moment, the Israeli stealth aircraft were several hundred kilometers from the Iraq-Iran border.”
Iran’s radar capabilities in detecting Israel’s stealth fighters reportedly caught the Israeli Air Force by surprise, compelling them to launch missiles prematurely and retreat, according to this absolutely phony report.
“It was shocking for Israel, forcing them to launch the ALBM before reaching the optimal position initially planned and then return to Israeli airspace,” it added. This is strictly propaganda that the anti-Israeli world lapped up and repeated.
Yes, the Israelis DID launch their missiles from over 100 miles away. But the one detail that these analysts leave out is that the Israelis obliterated Iran’s air defenses. The much-hyped Russian-built S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft systems that supposedly “painted” Israeli F-35I fighters didn’t shoot down one. Not a single Israeli aircraft was shot down. Iran didn’t even claim to, which tells you everything you need to know.
So, the 100 Israeli aircraft “retreated” after destroying Iran’s air defenses. But the one other thing they left out was an Iranian nuclear research center, believed to have been shut down years ago, was destroyed too. In December, the Israelis targeted Syria, which has the same Russian air defenses. Chemical weapons sites, missiles, air defenses, and other military targets were struck during airstrikes—Israeli losses: 0.
As for the other claim that Israel didn’t hurt Iran’s oil or nuclear facilities? The Biden administration asked Israel not to, not because they were unable to. The propaganda didn’t mention that Russia is the one who should be worried. The F-35I completely destroyed their vaunted air defenses.
The F-35 Is The Aircraft That It Was Designed To Be
Admiral Tony Radakin, the UK’s chief of defense staff, chief of defense staff, said, “Israel used more than 100 aircraft, carrying fewer than 100 munitions, and with no aircraft getting within 100 miles of the target in the first wave, and that took down nearly the entirety of Iran’s air-defense system.”
“It has destroyed Iran’s ability to produce ballistic missiles for a year and left Tehran with a strategic dilemma in how it responds. That is the power of fifth-generation aircraft, combined with exquisite targeting and extraordinary intelligence,” Radakin added. “And that was all delivered from a single sortie.”
In the Middle East, Israel has shown that it can penetrate Iranian airspace undetected and take out its most sensitive military sites. One side would have you believe that the vaunted Russian air defense platforms painted the Israeli aircraft and forced them home with only minimal damage done. Two of those countries had their air defenses destroyed, including a nuclear research facility.
The other side launched 100 aircraft, returned 100 aircraft, and destroyed those ADA systems. The F-35I Adir is exactly the aircraft needed for the mission to enter an adversarial country’s airspace and take sensitive targets.
F-35: A Story in Photos
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II, assigned to the 63rd Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., climbs to a higher altitude Aug. 26, 2019, at the Barry M. Goldwater Range near Gila Bend, Ariz. Pilots use the airspace in Gila Bend to train dropping ordnance and conducting strafing passes. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Aspen Reid)
(April 8, 2021) U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning IIs assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 164 (Reinforced), 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, land on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8). The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and embarked 15th MEU are operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Patrick Crosley)
An F-35A Lightning II from the 354th Fighter Wing, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, flies behind a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 117th Air Refueling Squadron, Forbes Field Air National Guard Base, Kansas, over the Indo-Pacific, March 10, 2022. Aircrews routinely fly missions aimed at sharpening the necessary skills needed to respond to emerging situations at a moment’s notice. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Yosselin Perla)
U.S. Air Force Maj. Kristin Wolfe performs a demonstration in the F-35A Lightning II during at the Reno Air Races in Reno, Nevada, September 19, 2021. The F-35 Lightning II Demonstration Team is based out of Hill Air Force Base, Utah. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Nicolas Myers)
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter on carrier operations.
F-35 Lightning II demonstration team members sprint to their positions during the ground show at the Defenders of Liberty Air & Space Show at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., May 17, 2019. The team’s ground show consists of pre-flight inspections with sharp, quick-paced movements that showcase the pride and professionalism of the U.S. Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Alexander Cook)
About the Author:
Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 19FortyFive, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
