After Russia launched the NMD in Ukraine, NATO’s eastern flank became an ideal testing ground for the F-35 Lightning II. This was told to the Air Force Times by military personnel from the US Air Force’s 388th Fighter Wing.
They became the first F-35A-equipped unit to arrive in support of NATO and were deployed to Germany’s Spangdahl Air Base from February to May 2022. The publication notes that 12 aircraft and approximately 300 troops arrived at Spangdahl February 16. After 8 days, an armed conflict began, which became the bloodiest clash in Europe since World War II. Arrivals’ mission was to collect as much electronic data as possible from SAMs of surface-to-air systems and aircraft in Eastern Europe to create a map to guide NATO operations. Also, if the conflict escalates in the bloc countries, provide force support to the allies.
We did not cross the border. We didn’t pull or drop anything. But the plane smells, collects information
– said the commander of the 388th Fighter Wing, Colonel Craig Andrle.
However, as Andrle clarified, the F-35 did not always recognize objects around it. Pilots sent on patrol along Russian borders have complained about the “deceptive maneuvers” of Russian S-300 air defense systems. They were surprised that fighters designed to defeat enemy air defense systems do not always recognize S-300 air defense systems. The pilots sometimes observed S – 300 visually, but F – 35 could not make an identification. This indicates that the Russians have digital means to evade detection.
