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Air Force

Conventional Wisdom On S-300 Effectiveness Called Into Question

Frank Wolfe

Tuesday, January 6th, 2026

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Conventional Wisdom On S-300 Effectiveness Called Into Question

Pictured is a U.S. Air Force photo of three F-35A fighters with the 356th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron flying in formation before aerial refueling over the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 11, 2025.

Conventional defense wisdom has held that Russian-made long-range S-300 surface-to-air missiles (SAM) pose significant threats to U.S. military aircraft, including the Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35 stealth fighter, yet the Jan. 3 U.S. operation in Venezuela and one in October 2024 by Israel against Iran have taken air out of the S-300's sails. Nearly a year ago, Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet pointed to the F-35I's destruction of Iranian air defenses, which included S-300 sites, in October 2024 (Defense Daily, Jan.…

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