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The stealth F-35 fighter aircraft made a first-time air attack, the culmination of years of development and anticipation for the plane's flight onto the battlefield.
A Marine Corps F-35B, Lightning II, took off from the amphibious assault ship Essex and on Thursday launched an airstrike against Taliban targets in the Afghan province of Kandahar to support Operation Freedom & Sentinel.
"It was a successful strike," said a defense official, according to AFP.
The aircraft is assigned to the 13th Maritime Expeditionary Unit.
There are several versions of the F-35 for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. The supersonic marine version can take off a short distance and land vertically, like a helicopter.
AFP said the aircraft is equipped with a stealth anti-radar technology, supersonic speeds, close air support capabilities, air agility and a wide range of sensors, giving pilots unprecedented access to information.
Launched in the early 1990s, the F-35 is considered the most expensive weapon system, with an estimated turnover of $ 400 billion and the goal of producing 2,500 aircraft in the coming years.
The overall cost of the program is expected to reach $ 1.5 trillion, once the maintenance and maintenance costs of the F-35 have been taken into account over the life of the aircraft until 2070, reported AFP.
Associated Press contributed to this report.