As Russia's invasion of Ukraine loomed, the US Air Force took action by deploying F-35 stealth fighters to NATO's eastern edge for air patrol missions, according to a recent report by Air Force Times. The Utah-based 388th and 419th Fighter Wings were dispatched to Germany in February 2022, then sent to the Baltic states for reconnaissance as the conflict kicked off. Their missions included looking for surface-to-air missile systems and aircraft. The F-35s were tasked with absorbing data from potentially adversarial surface-to-air missiles and tracking them to help NATO forces better understand the threat landscape. During the missions, the F-35s tracked missile systems in Ukraine and Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave bordering NATO ally Poland.
The fighter jets didn't always identify military equipment because some items, like air defense systems, can hide or disguise their presence in the field. For example, Russia's S-300, which are long-range surface-to-air missiles systems, were not always identified by the fighter jet. Intelligence had already assessed what it was and where it was, but the weapon seemed to be operating in a mode that was unfamiliar to the US. The aircraft notified troops of the object's existence, and then they tweaked the data for the jet, allowing NATO planes to better understand what they were seeing.
US Air Forces in Europe said at the time that the fighter jets were working from forward operating locations at bases in Estonia, Lithuania, and Romania. The military added that the aircraft strengthens communication and command and control capabilities, giving NATO the ability to maintain "air dominance" in contested spaces.
The F-35 is sometimes called the quarterback and is intended to be the backbone of the US military's fleet of fighter jets. It is a sleek-looking and extremely fast jet, combining its stealth with "unprecedented situational awareness." However, the Pentagon has faced numerous development headaches with the F-35, including years of delays and high costs. Despite these challenges, the military believes that the F-35 is worth the hassle.
Overall, the deployment of the F-35s to NATO's eastern flank demonstrated the fighter jet's ability to adapt quickly to unfamiliar threats and highlighted how it can play a crucial role in supporting NATO's defense posture. The F-35's advanced sensor package is designed to gather, fuse and distribute more information than any fighter in history, giving operators a decisive advantage over all adversaries.
