The F-35, Mocked by Elon Musk, Finally Shows What It Can Do

Newsweek

17-06-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Back in November, fresh off the presidential election, Elon Musk took direct aim at the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Calling the $100 million-a-piece aircraft "obsolete" and a "jack of all trades, master of none," Musk argued that the future belonged to drones—not manned jets.
"Manned fighter jets are outdated in the age of drones and only put pilots' lives at risk," he posted on X.
But in June 2025, those same jets are proving Musk wrong.
During Israel's ongoing offensive against Iran, F-35I Adir fighters—Israel's variant of the American-made stealth jet—have executed dozens of long-range strikes against fortified air defense systems, missile sites and nuclear facilities. Israeli officials say the aircraft flew deep into Iranian territory, encountered little resistance, and returned without a single recorded loss.
The results were immediate and visible. According to the Israeli Air Force, their F-35s neutralized critical air defense assets and gave Israeli pilots air superiority over much of Iranian airspace—a feat that unmanned systems have yet to replicate.
'We Need Both'
In interviews with Newsweek, defense experts said Musk's assertion doesn't hold up—Israel's strikes on Iran highlight exactly why manned stealth aircraft remain essential, even as drones reshape modern warfare.
"Manned stealth aircraft are the most cost-effective way to achieve results against heavily defended adversaries," said retired Lt. Gen. David Deptula, who served as deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance at U.S. Air Force headquarters and is now dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
Deptula described Israel's deep-penetration raids—some stretching nearly 1,000 miles—as a blueprint for modern air campaigns. "These operations saw Israel's F-35s evade and dismantle Iran's Russian-supplied air defenses, and then go on to strike other key targets. That is far from easy and could not have been accomplished by today's drones," he said.
An Israeli air force F-35 fighter lands during the "Blue Flag" multinational air defence exercise at the Ovda air force base, north of the Israeli city of Eilat, on October 24, 2021.
An Israeli air force F-35 fighter lands during the "Blue Flag" multinational air defence exercise at the Ovda air force base, north of the Israeli city of Eilat, on October 24, 2021.
Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images
Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), echoed that sentiment.
"Those who suggest that uncrewed systems alone can replace what fighter aircraft do fundamentally do not understand what makes them such a flexible and potentially decisive military tool," Bronk told Newsweek. He added that unmanned systems, while useful for surveillance and saturation attacks, still lack the resilience and adaptability to execute complex, multi-layered strikes in contested airspace.
"It's one thing to simulate uncrewed aircraft doing dogfighting in a clean, test environment," he said. "It's another to trust them in the electromagnetic chaos of modern combat, where jamming, deception, and dense airspace demand flexibility."
The Human Factor
Israel's strikes have included precision-guided bombs dropped on hardened targets such as the Natanz and Fordow nuclear enrichment sites. Defense analysts quickly noted the significance of using fifth-generation aircraft in such missions.
"There's a significant difference between today's military operations and what might be possible in 10 or 15 years," said Guy Snodgrass, a former Navy fighter pilot and Pentagon strategist.
"In today's world, manned stealth aircraft like Lockheed's F-35 are the premier tools. Their networked sensor suites, real-time battlefield awareness, and trained pilots make them unmatched for missions like these."
Smoke rises from the building of Iran's state-run television after an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 16, 2025.
Smoke rises from the building of Iran's state-run television after an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 16, 2025.
AP Photo
That's exactly what Israel's F-35s brought to the Iranian theater. Modified with extended-range fuel systems and armed with precision-guided munitions, the aircraft reached targets nearly 1,000 miles away. Israeli officials say the missions were executed without aerial refueling and with minimal radar detection—an outcome impossible without stealth and pilot-led adaptability.
"The proof is there for all to see," said Deptula, the retired general. "No drone exists today—or will in the foreseeable future—that can do what we are witnessing Israeli Air Force F-35s accomplish on a daily basis. Drones are tools that facilitate the conduct of air warfare—they don't change the fundamental elements of air warfare."
The Drone Revolution
Still, Deptula is quick to note the drone revolution is very real—just not all-encompassing. Deptula said that Israeli forces have used small lethal drones to support their strike packages, especially in suppressing Iranian air defenses. "It's a great example of taking an effects-based approach," he said. "You match the tool to the mission."
One of the clearest examples of how modern warfare is evolving came just weeks before Israel's air campaign began. In Eastern Europe, Ukraine launched "Operation Spiderweb" its most ambitious operation of the war against Russia—a sweeping drone and missile strike deep into Russian territory, damaging military infrastructure hundreds of miles from the front lines.
The attack demonstrated an effective way to strike without putting costly assets like fighter jets at risk. Snodgrass sees a future where artificial intelligence and uncrewed systems play a bigger role—but not yet. "Unmanned aircraft will one day rule the skies," he said. "But current systems like the F-35 represent the pinnacle of what is on offer today and in the near future."
A still image from footage of Operation Spiderweb published by Ukraine's security services.
A still image from footage of Operation Spiderweb published by Ukraine's security services.
SBU
Bronk agreed. "Massed one-way drones are useful for disruption and suppression," he said, "but they don't replace precision strike aircraft—especially not when facing modern missile systems and electronic defenses."
In a statement to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the defense giant Lockheed Martin, which makes the F-35, called it "combat proven."
"Its ability to combine battlefield intelligence and technology and share it instantaneously across every domain—land, sea, air, space, cyber—gives it an overwhelming edge in capability over the alternatives," the spokesperson said.
Whether that edge lasts another decade may depend on how quickly AI evolves, experts agree. For now, though, they say the skies over Iran offer a clear rebuttal to the idea that manned jets are already "relics of the past," as Musk has claimed.