It's not a good look for the F-35 that it had to engage in maneuvers to evade a Houthi surface to air missile in Yemen.
Needless to say, this is not the sort of sophisticated integrated air defense system that the aircraft is supposed to defeat.
A U.S. F-35 stealth fighter had to take evasive maneuvers to avoid being hit by Houthi surface-to-air (SAM) missiles, a U.S. official told The War Zone.
“They got close enough that the [F-35] had to maneuver,” the official said.
You can also read more about the Houthis’ air defense capabilities in our deep dive here.
The comments partially confirm earlier reporting by The New York Times about what transpired during the U.S. campaign against the Houthis, known as Operation Rough Rider, that was launched March 15.
“In those first 30 days, the Houthis shot down seven American MQ-9 drones (around $30 million each), hampering Central Command’s ability to track and strike the militant group,” the publication reported on Monday. “Several American F-16s and an F-35 fighter jet were nearly struck by Houthi air defenses, making real the possibility of American casualties, multiple U.S. officials said.”
I'm sure that Lockheed-Martin will be willing to sell an upgrade to fix this.
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