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The stealth F-35 fighter aircraft fought a combat air attack for the first time.
(US Marine Corps)
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.
A Marine F-35B Lightening took off from the amphibious assault ship of the USS Essex and on Thursday launched an air raid against Taliban targets in Afghanistan. The aircraft is assigned to the 13th Maritime Expeditionary Unit.
(US Marine Corps)
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.
