Not Much Can Be Concluded From That F-22 Vs. F-35 ‘Dogfight’ In Norway

F22 Raptor and F35 JSF in flight formation

Dave Majumdar, Task & Purpose/The National Interest: That F-22 Vs. F-35 ‘Dogfight’ In Norway Was Not What Everyone Thinks

A pair of stealthy fifth-generation U.S. Air Force Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor air superiority fighters squared off against a pair of Royal Norwegian Air Force Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighters during a one-day training exercise over Norway on August 15 .

There are very few details available about the exercise, but some inferences can be made about the type of training the two sides undertook.

The Norwegians, for their part, were impressed by the Raptor’s fearsome air-to-air prowess.

“The F-22 is a very formidable opponent,” Norwegian Air Force Major Morten Hanche, who piloted one of the Norwegian F-35s, told Reuters’ Andrea Shalal.

The Norwegians told Shalal that practicing with the American F-22s provided the stealthy new jets with training opportunities that would not normally be available since the F-35s are usually able to surprise and “overpower” conventional non-stealthy aircraft.

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WNU Editor: It is true that a one day exercise is not enough to make a conclusion on how well did these fighters perform. But my gut tells me that if the F-35 exceeded their expected goals in these exercises, that news would have been leaked to the press by now.