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

(www.cnn.com)
278 points Michelangelo11 | 1 comments | 27 Aug 25 11:38 UTC | HN request time: 0.338s | source
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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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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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1. 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?"