Retired US Marine Corps Maj. Dan Flatley will never forget the crushing feeling of helplessness he felt the first time he faced a stealth jet while he was flying in an F/A-18.
"I remember indelibly the moment in which the AWAC (airborne early warning and control plane) called out to me that there was a Raptor [an F-22 stealth fighter] in front of me at very close range that made me uncomfortable," Flatley told Business Insider in a phone interview.
"I had no way of targeting him, no way of defending myself."
Despite years of training to stay focused and level headed under the extreme pressures of air-to-air combat, a sense of dread set in.
Before even seeing the F-22, Flatley had already surrendered his composure, and therefore his ability to effectively fight back.
[excerpted]
http://www.businessinsider.com/psychological-effect-f-35-stealth-legacy-fighter-2017-5
