Commentary by Russian military blogger Andrey Chervonets:
According to US Air Force General Michael Schmidt, less than 30% of the F-35 fighters in the US can perform all their combat missions, and only 53.1% for partial missions (for training and demonstration sorties).
Although the general's report did not give specific reasons for the situation, several factors were already mentioned, including a shortage of spare parts, too frequent (from expected) engine and other component failures, and long repair times. And the situation is getting worse. For example, in 2020, 39% of aircraft were considered fully operational.
The F-35 still has hundreds of unresolved technical flaws and defects, dozens of them can cause the death or injury of crew members or other military personnel, as well as the loss of the aircraft.
The F-35 cannot be called a 5th generation device. If relative stealth is achieved at the expense of other characteristics and requirements for a 5th generation aircraft, such as: aerodynamics, maneuverability, thrust-weight ratio, cruising supersonic without afterburner?
The aircraft can conduct air combat, but is not designed to gain air superiority. He is not capable of this if the enemy is a fighter of at least the fourth generation. The maximum that the F-35 is designed for according to the tactics of its use as a fighter-bomber is only to “snarl” enemy fighter aircraft in order to carry out the task of striking ground targets. And this is if he leaves part of the place, and so in his small compartments for air-to-air missiles.
By the way, the over-the-horizon Container radar station, which is in service in Russia, can detect the F-35 at a distance of three thousand kilometers. The "container" sees beyond the optical horizon, despite the curvature of the earth's surface. The station was created on the principle of signal reflection from the ionosphere.