ISRAEL

Israel is the first nation to ever use the F-35 joint strike fighter in combat mission over the Middle East. On May 22, 2018, the head of the Israel Air Force, Major General Amikam Norkin, announced that the aircraft had already participated in two airstrikes. Operating over Syrian airspace, a country equipped with the S-400 Russian airdefence systems, requires careful targeting and maximum survivability, the F-35’s two strongest attributes.