The new F-35 Lightning II strike fighter jet came out on top against the F-16 in the United States Air Force’s premier air combat exercise, Red Flag.
The war games are held annually at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, with pilots and maintainers from 388th and 419th Fighter Wings at Hill AFB, Utah taking part.
After eight days of intensive war simulations, the F-35A conventional aircraft achieved a 15:1 kill ratio against the F-16s.
F-35 pilot and 34th Fighter Squadron commander, Lt Col George Watkins, commented: “I’ve had four of my (F-35A) pilots come back from missions, guys who have flown the F-15 and F-16 at Red Flag for years, and tell me ‘This is amazing. I’ve never had this much situational awareness while I’m in the air. I know who’s who, I know who’s being threatened, and I know where I need to go next.’
“You just don’t have all of that information at once in fourth-generation aircraft.”
The ‘jump jet’ B version of the fifth-generation strike fighter will fly from HMS Queen Elizabeth and her sister Prince of Wales.
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F-35 Lightning II HMS Queen Elizabeth Red Flag Royal Navy war games
Post written by: Matt Brown
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