The United States showed off its new fighter jets Monday, as the armed forces prepare for their annual war games with South Korea, CNN reports.
Lockheed Martin made the F-35B Lighting II fighter jet, which is seen as a major advantage for the U.S. because it is equipped with stealth technology that allows it to fly undetected by North Korean radar. It is also one of the few jets that can land vertically, similar to a helicopter, and they require far less runway to take off, allowing a relatively small warship like the USS Wasp to carry them.
"It really is an historic deployment, bringing this capability of the F-35 and the USS Wasp together to create the most significant increase in our capability the Navy and Marine Corps team has seen in our lifetime," Rear Adm. Brad Cooper told CNN from aboard the Wasp.
"For our enemies, these new capabilities simply make us more lethal," Cooper added. "And we have the ability to bring a greater deal of lethality to the fight and ultimately win in combat."
However, some defense experts question the F-35’s combat readiness. Project on Government Oversight weapons acquisition expert Dan Grazier wrote in analysis of the jets that "They are just expensive prototypes. They haven't even started the rigorous combat readiness testing, which is a really important part of the program."
Cooper, however, disagrees. He told CNN "these F-35s are combat ready. If we needed to use them in combat today, they're ready to go."
"These deficiencies for these aircraft that we have deployed out here have all been resolved, they're full on, and they're ready to execute combat missions if called upon."