The F-35’s detractors have long questioned its capabilities and reliability, but the fifth-generation fighter’s stellar performance record in a series of recent high-profile exercises should put many of those fears to rest.
First held in 1975, Red Flag is the premier air combat exercise of the U.S. Air Force (USAF). Over the span of three weeks, around 100 aircraft are tested in a variety of air-to-air, air-to-ground, space, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare scenarios. It was at the Red Flag 2017 exercises that the F-35 platform faced one of its earliest and most grueling trials. A subpar showing at Red Flag would have been received by the F-35 program’s critics as a sign of vindication, suggesting that they were right all along to question the fighter’s capabilities.
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