The F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter operated by the US Marine Corps has carried out its first ever combat air operations against Taliban targets in Afghanistan, media reports said on Thursday.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th September, 2018) The F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter operated by the US Marine Corps has carried out its first ever combat air operations against Taliban targets in Afghanistan, media reports said on Thursday.
"The strike took place in Afghanistan against a fixed Taliban target," CNN reported. "The aircraft involved were the US Marine Corps' variant of the aircraft flying from the USS Essex amphibious assault ship."
The news network cited three US defense officials, all speaking on condition of anonymity as its sources.
The F-35 is regularly described as the most expensive aircraft and military program in history with projections of its costs running to $1.5 trillion over a 30-year period. The program continues to be plagued by delays, cost overruns and failures of fundamental systems.
The F-35B is the world's first supersonic short and vertical takeoff and landing (STOVL) aircraft and is operated by the US Marine Corps. It is the first of the three F-35 variants that has been cleared as combat-ready.
