Israel continues to fight Hamas and repel missile attacks from the Houthis in Yemen. The Defense Ministry showed how one of the missiles was shot down by an F-35 Lightning II fighter jet.
The video was recorded on November 2, 2023. The video shows a fifth-generation fighter jet intercepting a cruise missile flying toward Israel. This is probably another projectile launched by Iranian proxies. Earlier, the Houthis demonstrated ballistic missile and drone launches.
בימים האחרונים זוהה על ידי מערכות הבקרה והגילוי של חיל-האוויר, טיל שיוט, ששוגר מדרום מזרח אל עבר המרחב האווירי של מדינת ישראל. המערכות עקבו אחרי מסלולו של טיל השיוט והזניקו מטוסי קרב ממערך ה״אדיר״, אשר יירטו אותו בהצלחה. pic.twitter.com/6fP6TnlpTm
– Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) November 2, 2023
The Israeli version of the F-35A is called the F-35I Adir. This configuration has additional Israeli-made avionics, including a domestic electronic warfare system. As for the interception, the type of missile fired was not specified. It is possible that the fighter used an AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missile.
The Israeli Air Force will become the second largest foreign operator of the F-35A Lighting II in the future. This will happen after the delivery of an additional batch of 25 aircraft ordered in the summer of 2023. The cost is estimated at $3 billion. Only Japan has more fifth-generation conventional takeoff fighters outside the United States.
It is worth noting that this is a historic event. The Israeli F-35 was the first to intercept the cruise missile.
