Iran–US war: How Tehran may have found cracks in America’s F-35 stealth shield
Iran created air defense systems that use passive infrared sensors instead of radar to target aircraft like F-35A.
As the Iran–US conflict intensifies, reports of a US F-35 stealth jet being hit have sparked debate over the aircraft’s vulnerabilities, with analysts suggesting emerging detection technologies may be challenging America’s air superiority.
The US Air Force's F-35A Lightning 2 is supposed to be one of the most costly weapons programmes in history. It is developed to build around the area so that it can slip through the most contested airspace unobserved.
The Pentagon confirmed that the US military said an F-35A was forced to make an emergency landing at a US base in the Middle East after a combat mission over Iran. Iran’s IRGC claimed it struck the jet, but the US military said the F-35 stealth jet is under investigation.
Captain Tim Hawkins, Central Command spokesperson, said the F-35A was flying a combat mission over Iran when it was forced to reroute. The aircraft landed securely, and the pilot is in steady condition.
However, nothing concrete is known if the Iranian fire forced the landing or what weapon Iran used; the IRGC released a video through Iran's Fars News Agency claiming to show a missile striking the F-35 on its port side.
If proved, it would mark the first time a US crewed aircraft has been struck by Iranian fire since Operation Epic Fury started on February 28. The incident is even more essential for what it reveals about the F-35's vulnerabilities than for the planned damage alone.
The aircraft's stealth capabilities are calibrated mainly to overcome radar-based detection systems. It is shaped to scatter radio-frequency emissions and coated with stuff that rightly absorbs them.
Iran has developed air defence systems that are created with passive infrared sensors instead of radaring to target aircraft. The technique has already proved efficient in Yemen when used by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
However, the F-35A holds its own Distributed Aperture System, which is a system of six infrared cameras giving 360-degree situational responsiveness; detection and avoidance are different issues.
