U.S. F-35 Lighting II Fighters See Combat

Advanced fighter took part in an operation against the Houthi rebels in Yemen

Photo by Kim Tunger on Unsplash

This week, the United States confirmed that its F-35C Lightning II aircraft participated in a series of airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen on November 9th and 10th. Although the Israeli IDF reportedly has the F-35, this was the first time the U.S. used the "C" version in combat.

The F-35C version is the aircraft carrier version of the fighter series, which includes the air force version, the F-35A, the STOVL-capable F-35B variant, and the carrier-based F-35C version, which features a slightly modified wing design, reinforced landing gear, and a more robust structure to withstand carrier operations. This carrier version was the F-35, which saw the first combat for the U.S.

The Houthi rebels are an Iranian-backed militia group operating in the war-torn and dysfunctional state of Yemen. The Houthi rebels, initially engaged in a proxy war with Saudi Arabia, have gained recognition for their successful campaign against international shipping in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. When Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, the Houthis sided with them. Since then, they have escalated their campaign against international shipping, which has been so effective that many shipping countries are avoiding the Red Sea altogether and instead taking the longer route around the southern tip of Africa, much to the economic distress of Egypt and its Red Sea Suez Canal passage.

The effectiveness of the Houthis' attacks on shipping is comparable to the ineffectiveness of the Western response to these attacks. The novel use of the F-35C, like the B-2 Spirit bomber in earlier attacks against the Houthis, will not change this. The use of stealth aircraft against the Houthis, who have Iran as their patron, serves as a warning to Iran about the U.S.'s ability to strike in the region if it so chooses. The use of these assets truly served this purpose.

Stealth technology won't resolve the Houthi issue; instead, we must use overwhelming force to cut off its access to Iranian weapons like missiles and drones, thereby disrupting airfields and, crucially, port facilities. We could have used regular F-15Es, F/A-18s, and B-1s for these types of missions (or a USMC amphibious force) at a lower cost and with greater bomb loads, but this was an opportunity for the navy to test the capabilities of its new fighter.

F35C vs Houthi Rebels