Stealthy F-35 fighter sees 1st combat action

The stealthy F-35 fighter jet has conducted a combat airstrike for the first time. (U.S. Marine Corps)

The stealthy F-35 fighter jet has conducted a combat airstrike for the first time, the culmination of years of development and anticipation for the aircraft’s move to the battlefield.

A Marine Corps F-35B, Lightning II, took off from the amphibious assault ship Essex and launched an airstrike Thursday against Taliban targets in Afghanistan’s Kandahar Province in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.

“It was a successful strike,” a defense official said, as AFP reported.

The aircraft is assigned to the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

There are multiple versions of the F-35 for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. The supersonic Marine version can take off over a short distance and land vertically, like a helicopter.

AFP reported that the aircraft boasts radar-dodging stealth technology, supersonic speeds, close air support capabilities, airborne agility and a massive array of sensors, giving pilots unparalleled access to information.

A Marine F-35B Lightening took off from the USS Essex amphibious assault ship and launched an airstrike Thursday against Taliban targets in Afghanistan. The aircraft is assigned to the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. (U.S. Marine Corps)

Launched in the early 1990s, the F-35 is considered the most expensive weapons system, at an estimated $400 billion and a goal to produce 2,500 aircraft in the coming years.

Overall program costs are expected to rise to $1.5 trillion, once servicing and maintenance costs for the F-35 are factored in over the aircraft’s lifespan through 2070, AFP reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.