Heat Problems Could Stop the F-35 Fighter Cold (From The National Interest)

Bar none the F-35 Lightning II is the hottest fighter jet in the world. Israel’s F-35’s led the October attack on Iran’s air defenses, and last year, their F-35s tracked and shot down an incoming cruise missile.  Two U.S. Air Force F-35s just landed on a highway in Finland, while a Japanese F-35 intercepted an intruding Russian patrol plane. More U.S. F-35s are in the Middle East and the Marine Corps F-35C is aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in US Central Command’s area of responsibility. 

In years ahead, the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and 18 allies and partner nations are counting on the F-35 to shoulder many roles, from exotic electronic warfare to working with drones.  But these advanced missions are in danger unless the F-35 Joint Program Office figures out a fix for the F-35 cooling system, fast. 

Read my analysis in The National Interest here.