Recently, the UAE-Israel deal was partly helped by the peril that Iran poses to the region. One of the unforeseen outcomes of the deal is assigning the US and Israeli F-35s as SAM killers into mission profiles.
US is seeking an extension of the Iran arms embargo to prevent the Islamic nation from acquiring new weapons to threaten others. This will raise the specter of Tehran's overall ambitions in the region to acquire Russian and Chinese arms one it ends on October 18.
Another aspect of the situation is that Israel and the United Arab Emirates have signed an agreement that is influenced by Iran's threat to the region, according to Breaking Defense.
Tehran will be using these weapons to amount offensives against American forces and their allies in the Middle East. The weapons can also be used to protect installations that are connected to nuclear weapons research. The U.S. and Israel are concerned about the repercussions that go with it. Arabian countries have a stake in these initiatives that will impact the peace and order situation there.
Both the Department of Defense and the Israel Defense Forces are not taking these perils for granted. They are forming initiatives to prepare for all outcomes, especially if it concerns the Iranians.
The joint exercise between America and Israel on August 2, as the second time Enduring Lightning, is an operation geared to orient pilots on specifics of how to do air to air battle and attacking ground targets. Used for this specific mission for training is the F-35 5th generation stealth capable aircraft.
Enduring Lightning II involves the F-35Is of the Israeli Air Force 140th Squadron training with U.S. Air Force F-35As from the 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron. Coordinating all these planes is the Israeli Nachshon command and control as main support.
An earlier iteration the Enduring Lightning I was improved on the second version that added some more actions to the former. The coordination of USAF and IAF operators familiarizing themselves with this training is also critical. When going after intended targets, communication and data on the connected battlefield is vital.
The training involved two teams, the USAF and IAF Blue team and Red team. Both would be imitating the behavior of simulated surface to air bogeys. These teams will be learning to react to fighter attacks and how to nullify air defenses, similar to what Iran may throw when the time comes.
USAF and IAF pilots will be facing these threats that will be dangerous without adequate training. An F-35 pilot needs to null air defenses and combat aircraft, before launching either a direct or standoff weapon without getting shot down.
Iran is hardly without defense, such as the S-300 SAM. A newer model S-400 was not allowed for sale by the Soviets. Failure of the Iran arms embargo extension might see USAF and IAF F-35s facing off with these systems soon.
Related article: U.S. Navy's Weapons: F-35 Lightning and Super Hornet Adds Tactical Layers to Win
