According to new reporting from the New York Times, a Houthi surface-to-air (SAM) missile barely missed an American F-35 fifth-generation fighter, the crown jewel of the U.S. fighter inventory. The F-35, participating in Operation Rough Rider against the Houthis, was forced to take evasive action to avoid the missile.

The incident raises questions about the survivability of one of America’s most advanced fighters, and raises concerns over how effective the relatively unsophisticated Houthi air defense system has been at hampering U.S. action.

  • comfy
    link
    fedilink
    84 hours ago

    I have a soft spot for new planes being shot down by “outdated” technologies.

    [translations, copypasted, so you don’t have to visit the source on reddit]

    translations:
    • “Sorry, your plane is on fire”(rhymes in Serbian)
    • “Mine is visible, but doesn’t crash!”
    • “Airplane junkyard: ‘We have F-117 parts!’”
    • “The ground suddenly got in his way”
    • “Missed the Surčin airport”
    • “Look, daddy, no hands!”
    • “What’s going to happen with the White House? I’m going to set it on fire!”
    • “Give us another one… I need a roof for my pig pen!”

    Followed by three more phrases which don’t translate well.

    • “Like a child knows what is invisible”
    • “We’ll fuck, NATO, my bro!”
    • "Short but ‘effective’ "