Recently, Singapore's defense minister declared that F-35 fighters have been actively involved in operations in Ukraine and have performed well. Similarly, a Bulgarian military ** reported on the information. According to information provided by the outside**, the F-35 fighter jets are mainly responsible for carrying out reconnaissance missions on the battlefield in Ukraine, making full use of their advanced sensors and image forming technology to monitor the positions of the Russian army and air defense missile systems, and report to NATO in a timely manner. It is worth noting that the Russian side has not publicly reported the participation of the F-35 in the war in Ukraine. There is an opinion that this may be due to the fact that Russia has limited capabilities in anti-stealth technology and is not aware of the existence of the F-35 at all. However, many more believe that even if Russia is aware of it, it will choose to remain silent in order to avoid unnecessary panic within the military.
Since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the performance of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the region has not been ideal. Not only did the A-50U AWACS suffer setbacks, but the Su-35S and Su-34 also suffered the fate of being shot down. It is worth mentioning that the highly anticipated Su-57 fighter even needs to be escorted by two Su-35S fighters when performing missions on the battlefield in Ukraine, making it the world's first fifth-generation aircraft that needs non-stealth fighters to provide escort.
However, even with two Su-35S escorts, the two ground strike munitions launched by the Su-57 crashed due to malfunctions and became a laughing stock in the international community. Analysts point out that the reason why the F-35 avoids direct participation in combat missions on the battlefield in Ukraine is mainly due to concerns that the Russian army may obtain the remains of NATO-standard ammunition. Unlike Soviet-made ammunition used by the Ukrainian Air Force, the airborne ammunition carried by the F-35 includes advanced ammunition such as NATO's latest AIM-120D, AIM-9X, etc., which the Ukrainian army does not have. Once the Russian army acquires the remains of these munitions, it is likely that NATO will be drawn directly into the quagmire of Ukraine.
Although the F-35 relies on its excellent stealth performance when performing battlefield reconnaissance and surveillance missions, the Russian army still lacks a suitable model to deal with it. At present, among the military aircraft in active service in Russia, there is no fighter comparable to the F-35, even the Su-57, which is touted by Russia as the world's strongest fifth-generation aircraft, actually failed to meet expectations, not only Russia is not optimistic, even India does not appreciate it.
At present, in addition to the urgent need for fighters to counter the F-35, the current Russian army is also in urgent need of advanced anti-stealth radars and early warning interception systems. In the case of dependence on Russian industry and product research and development capabilities, it is practically difficult to develop high-performance anti-stealth equipment, and the only thing that can provide ready-made products is China. However, China has been playing a mediating and neutral role in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and has maintained a side-by-side attitude even as Russia faces a shortage of missiles.
However, in the face of a serious "F-35 crisis", whether China will continue to stay on the sidelines will have an impact on Russia's future defense and security to a certain extent. In fact, in addition to the F-35's excellent performance in conventional combat, it also has the ability to carry nuclear munitions. If the Russian army is unable to come up with an effective response to the F-35, it is very likely that NATO will directly provide assistance in the event of an escalation of the situation in Ukraine in the future. At that time, the F-35 will become the primary and formidable enemy facing the Russian army. It is understood that the total production of F-35 has exceeded 1,000 aircraft, which is more than the sum of all the fourth-generation aircraft of the Russian army. Under the threat of a large number of advanced stealth fifth-generation aircraft, the Russian army can only pay more to consolidate its positions.