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F-35 pilot held 50-minute airborne conference call with engineers before crash

(www.cnn.com)
278 points Michelangelo11 | 6 comments | 27 Aug 25 11:38 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source | bottom
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gherkinnn ◴[27 Aug 25 12:11 UTC] No.45038575[source]▶
The F35 has been a shit show for 15 years or more. So not only is it a disaster at the tactical and operational level, with the US holding the keys and being run by a cretin, it is now also a strategic blunder.

The French were right with their strategic autonomy, de Gaulle evidently prescient, and the various EU countries falling for the F35 would have been better off choosing the Rafale or Gripen.

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luma ◴[27 Aug 25 12:19 UTC] No.45038655[source]▶
That is a patently absurd take, ask Iran how much of a shitshow it is to be on the receiving end of planes your AA can't see.
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1. gherkinnn ◴[27 Aug 25 12:34 UTC] No.45038782[source]▶
The B2 is what did the damage in Iran. F22 and F35 were reportedly sent to protect the bombers.

I don't see how that detracts from the point that the F35 has been fraught with problems and operating it is dependent on an unreliably ally.

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2. hollerith ◴[27 Aug 25 12:37 UTC] No.45038809[source]▶
Israel has no B2s. Israeli F35s flew constantly over Western and Central Iran (including Tehran) for 12 days as if Iran's extensive air-defense network was not even there, doing a lot of damage.

Russian milbloggers responded with, "Why can't the Russian air force fly over Ukraine like that?"

3. UltraSane ◴[27 Aug 25 13:26 UTC] No.45039374[source]▶
This is completely wrong. B2 bombers only dropped the MOAB on the nuclear enrichment sites. Israel used F35s to bomb Iran at will. Iran didn't shoot down a single plane.
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4. 542354234235 ◴[27 Aug 25 16:21 UTC] No.45041710[source]▶
They dropped the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), not the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB).
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5. luma ◴[27 Aug 25 17:32 UTC] No.45042513[source]▶
Another absurd take - there was 1 sortie of B2s which was America's show of force. There were two weeks of daily Israeli F35 sorties, starting with SEAD and then progressing to strategic bombing targets. They all completed their missions with no loss of aircraft.

Tell me, when has an F35 failed to perform in combat duties? You're running off of internet memes from a decade ago while the F35 was still in development (and having a bad time of it). They are selling like crazy, and it's not because their customers are misinformed about the capabilities.

6. UltraSane ◴[27 Aug 25 19:31 UTC] No.45044002{3}[source]▶
Minor point. OP is still completely wrong to ignore the HUNDREDS of bombs that Israel F35s dropped on Iran.