Israel’s F-35I Adir ‘Stealth Fighter’ Simply Summed Up in 4 Words

Key Points – Israel launched a massive, preemptive air assault codenamed “Operation Rising Lion” against Iran overnight on June 12th, involving at least 200 aircraft.

-The strike’s primary goal was to eliminate Iran’s nuclear threat, targeting key infrastructure like the Natanz enrichment facility, ballistic missile sites, and top nuclear scientists.

-Israel’s fleet of F-35I “Adir” stealth fighters, while not confirmed just yet, almost surely led the initial wave, using their advanced electronic warfare capabilities and stealth to penetrate Iranian airspace and clear the way for follow-on strikes.

-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the operation will continue for “as many days as it takes.”

F-35I Adir Fighter: The Warplane Iran Fears from Israel

It finally happened and when it did, the world took notice. Israel attacked Iran in a long-awaited effort to kill military leaders and nuclear scientists. At least 200 airplanes destroyed Iranian nuclear infrastructure and defense targets like ballistic missile sites overnight beginning June 12.

This is the biggest attack Iran has suffered since its war against Iraq during the 1980s. Israel said it was a pre-emptive strike to keep Tehran from placing the final touches on several nuclear devices.

The Mighty One Brings the Noise

Israeli fighter jets such as the F-35I Adir (Mighty One) were almost surely involved in hitting about 100 targets in the initial wave. In fact, this fighter was designed for such missions and almost certainly was the tip of the spear.

More missions from the F-35I are expected over the weekend. Operation Rising Lion will continue for “as many days as it takes,” to eliminate the existential threat of Iran’s nuclear program, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu believes that Iran had enough enriched uranium for at least nine nuclear devices and Tehran had the wherewithal to make an atomic weapon in a matter of days or weeks.

Many Different Targets Destroyed 

Netanyahu said that his forces “targeted Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, its nuclear weaponization programs, its main enrichment facility of Natanz, its top nuclear scientists, and its ballistic missile program,” Business Insider noted.

The F-35I was surely the primary asset for Operation Rising Lion.

The F-35I likely cleared the way due to its radar evasion capabilities in a “shaping” attack to prepare for more fighters like the F-16I and F-15I to follow on with bunker-busting bombs.

The main effort was to take out the Natanz enrichment facility, which is mostly underground.

F-35I Adir Prepped the Battlefield

“Dozens of [Israeli air force] jets completed the first stage that included strikes on dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran,” the Israel Defence Forces said.

The stealth F-35I likely led the first stage. The jet surely played a key role in a past attack on Iranian air defenses, radar, and command and control facilities last autumn.

No F-35Is were lost in that attack. Iran was expected to have limited means to defend against last night’s strikes.

Outstanding in the Past

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt, Program Executive Officer and Director of the F-35 Lightning II Program, told Congress that the Israeli F-35I performance was “absolutely outstanding” during missions against Hamas and Hezbollah.

Israel did not include specific information on the types of jets used. Still, the F-35I is its best fighter and especially adept at penetrating enemy airspace and dropping precision-guided munitions and accurate air-to-ground missiles.

Iraq did not have its airspace open during the operation, but the Israelis probably used Syria and parts of Iraq to fly over. “Flight tracking sites show that airlines are giving Iranian airspace a wide berth by flying well to the north and south,” according to FlightGlobal.com.

Robust Set of Weapons

The Israelis have around 38 F-35Is. The Adirs are equipped with excellent electronic warfare capabilities to blind and spoof radar. The land attack missiles that it probably used were Spice weapons (1,000 and 2,000 pound bombs), the Rampage missile air-to-ground munition, and Delilah standoff cruise missiles, FlightGlobal.com said.

The Rampage is better able to strike deep into bunkers with penetrating ability. The F-35Is may have also been carrying American Joint Direct Attack Munitions.

Israel has seven KC-707 tankers, and the F-35I likely re-fueled at some point during the attack, allowing it to carry a maximum amount of munitions in “beast mode.”

F-35Is have better software than the base model F-35s that the United States and its allies use. Israeli technicians can quickly add “field mission data files” to update the “flying computer” system on the F-35I. This means that after each sortie, ground crews can incorporate lessons learned from the mission just flown. This will come in handy when the F-35I likely flies additional sorties during Operation Rising Lion.

The Adir can also jam Iranian radar by using “frequency hopping” technology with a jamming pod not deployed on other F-35s around the world. F-35Is also communicate with each other extremely well. Maintenance crews can also turn them over quickly after missions to fly again. This will be especially important in future attacks in the coming days.

The F-35I Adir Looks Unstoppable

The F-35I Adir is the crown jewel in the Israeli air force. Its stealthiness helped pave the way to lead the vanguard of the overnight operation. Improvements to software, electronic warfare, and the range of weapons have already served the Israelis in an outstanding manner.

Look for more likely strikes from the Mighty One in the coming days against the Iranian targets that are still standing.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.

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