F-35s Patrol European Skies: Is the Stealth Fighter the Best Deterrent to Russia?
Peter Suciu / Mar 1, 2022
The U.S. DoD may have sent a strong message to Moscow by deploying a number of combat aircraft to Europe, where they’ll conduct regular patrols along NATO’s eastern flank. Among those aircraft that will be taking part in the sorties will be the F-35 Lightning II, the most advanced – and expensive – combat aircraft in the U.S. military’s arsenal.
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is currently in service in three variants, including the United States Air Force’s F-35A, a conventional take-off and landing model; the United States Marine Corps’ F-35B, a short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) version; and the F-35C, a carrier-based variant that is operated by both the United States Navy and Marines. All three variants have similar performance characteristics and the exact same advanced avionics. The variation between models allows military forces to achieve service-specific mission capability, while still taking advantage of the economies of scale that result from the parts and processes that are common to all three variants.
KEEPING THE PEACE IN THE SKIES
On Sunday, the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces in Africa announced that the fifth generation fighter aircraft had been repositioned in the Baltic Sea region to support the on-going NATO Enhanced Air Policing missions.
https://news.clearancejobs.com/2022/03/01/f-35s-patrol-european-skies-is-the-stealth-fighter-the-best-deterrent-to-russia/
