How to Annoy an F-35 Stealth Fighter Pilot

Compare his fancy plane to the rough-and-tumble A-10

by DAVID AXE

Maj. John Wilson flies F-35 stealth fighters at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. Christian Sundsdal — editor of the Danish Website Krigeren — caught up with Wilson at Luke on April 7 and posed some of the most troubling questions that have vexed the new stealth fighter’s development.

At top — F-35s. U.S. Air Force photo. Above — Wilson. Krigeren capture

Among them — can a speedy, flimsy F-35 truly replace a low- and slow-flying, armored A-10 in the close air support role, blasting the enemy in dangerous proximity to friendly troops?

A visibly annoyed Wilson admits that, no, the F-35 can’t do close air support like an A-10 — because it was never supposed to, he claims.

Click through to watch the whole tense exchange.

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