The F-35 Versus Russia Showdown Is Happening Now

Lockheed Martin

Popular Mechanics: The Showdown Between the F-35 and the Russian Weapons Built to Stop It Is Finally Here

Israel is flying the F-35 into combat, which means the Joint Strike Fighter is up against Russian-built radar and anti-aircraft weapons designed with it in mind.

* Israel has become the first country to fly the F-35 into combat.
* Other countries in the Middle East have Russian-built air defenses intended to spot the F-35 despite its stealth profile.
* This war between American-made planes and Russian-made defenses has been brewing ever since the F-35 was on the drawing board.

We don't know exactly what the F-35 is up to in the Middle East, where Israel says it just became the first country to fly the Joint Strike Fighter into combat. But we do know this: The long awaited, multi-generational showdown between military engineers in Russia and the United States is starting to play out in the Middle East.

These planes—and the equipment that Russia designed to shoot them down—were designed to face each other. As we wrote back in 2012:

As of now, no S-300 surface-to-air weapon has ever been fired at a target in anger. The Lightning II is still in testing, and the debut of its style of networked warfare is years away. Their matchup awaits. Only then will the war of words between detractors, engineers, salesmen, and journalists be settled—in combat, with lives at stake and history in the balance.

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WNU Editor: All that it would take is to shoot down one F-35 .... and the global ripple effect will be massive.