A Navy F-35C. US Navy/Task and Purpose.
The US Navy has declared the F-35C ready for combat. Task and Purpose/San Diego Tribune. The Navy's F-35C version of the plane is the 2nd to be rated for combat after the Marines' F-35B variant, which has already finished a combat deployment. It is unclear when the F-35C will have their first combat deployment but it should be soon.
My Comment:
Just a quick post about the F-35. After billions of dollars and many setbacks some of the planes are finally joining frontline units. The Marines were first but now the Navy has finally joined them. Right now it's just one carrier that is going to be carrying these fighters, the USS Carl Vinson.
The Marines version of the plane has been used effectively in Afghanistan, though that's a pretty easy combat environment for the planes. They did not have to face any opposition from enemy planes or air defenses, so they haven't been truly tested.
On the other hand, the Israelis have used F-35's in combat in Syria and they had some success. In a highly dangerous environment like Syria they managed to complete their missions. That shows that, at the very least, the F-35's are decent bomb trucks.
I still have concerns about the F-35's ability to dogfight. I have seen reports of simulations and combat exercises where the F-35 is defeated by F-15's and F-16's in dogfights. In a standoff fight the F-35 is fine but if it ever gets into a closer range turning dogfight the F-35 is at a disadvantage.
Still, despite the problems of the F-35, it is good that we are finally getting some use out of the billions of dollars we have spent for the program. Given how many problems the program has had, it almost seemed that the plane would be in devolpment years after it was already obsolete.
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