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Weapons

Israel’s Success With F-35s Against Iran’s Air Defenses Makes Case For Fighter, Taiclet Says

By Cal Biesecker

Wednesday, January 29th, 2025

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Israel’s Success With F-35s Against Iran’s Air Defenses Makes Case For Fighter, Taiclet Says

F-35A Lightning II multi-role fighter. Photo: Lockheed Martin

Israel’s success last fall in knocking out Iranian air defenses, in large part with the Lockheed Martin [LMT]-built F-35 fighter, showcases why the fifth-generation aircraft is necessary amid concerns that the Trump administration has a sour view of the multi-role platform, the company’s chief said this week. Citing open-source reporting, Jim Taiclet highlighted that the October 2024 attack by Israel’s air forces against Iranian air defenses and other targets was a “lopsided victory” while the Israelis were unscathed. That attack…

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