The F-35 is a flying elephant. Why a flying elephant? Well, it is big, grey, and lumbering (that is, it is slow, its actually one of the slowest fighter jets). To back this characterization of the F-35, I advance the follow evidence:

Recently the Russian IL-20 plane was shot down, by a S-200 missile battery in Syria, all because the F-16s that were ghosting the IL-20 where trying to hide behind the IL-20's radar signature. Why? Not, "why where these Israeli F-16s ghosting the IL-20s" but rather, "why were these F-16s there in the first place?" If the F-35 is superior in stealth to a very dated F-16, why use the F-16? The weapons systems on the F-35 are just as capable (if not more) to hit ground targets in Syria, in fact the F-35 is designed specifically to do just that! So lets now get to some facts.

This Flying Elephant has been detected on more than one occassion on radar through out the Middle East. In fact Beirut air traffic control detect F-35s on a regular basis, and military organizations around the world are starting to question the true abilities of the F-35. The underlying discussion here is that the F35 is being sighted too many times for it to be intentional. Is the F-35 a flying elephant? Is this why the F-16s were used instead, because of their superior flight agility, it is well know the F-35 is least designed for air combat and missile aversion.

Then comes the curious case of a F-35 being taken out by a flying stork! Yes you have all heard that it was some bird, apparently the great debate is that it was either a duck or stork, or at least it was. If you believe the Israelis it was a stork, Israel says it was storks, and two of them at that! Anyway, the truth it seems is something even more worrisome, that the F-35 is truly a flying elephant, so much so, that it was targeted and hit by of all things a S-200 system.

It appears the evidence is slowly mounting that the F-35 is not just a liability economically and politically but also militarily. Why else would the Americans and the Israelis be so consumed with worry over S-300s. This is why statements are made by Israeli officials saying the F-35 can not be seen by S-300s. This does not look like you don’t have worries about S-300s, it shows you are VERY WORRIED, about S-300s. Of course, what does mean about the real concern that the Americans have about the S-400s, and next year the roll out of the super S-500s (basically anything from the ground to low orbit in space will be tracked and can be hit, even at hypersonic speeds)

Thus, does this explain why Israeli is NOT using F-35s any more on Syria?

So, is the F-35 really a flying elephant?