- The Pentagon said F-35C stealth aircraft took part in strikes against the Houthis last weekend.
- A defense official told BI that it was the first operational combat flight for the F-35C.
The aircraft carrier-based variant of the F-35 stealth fighter made its combat debut during recent American military airstrikes against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, a US defense official confirmed to Business Insider on Wednesday.
The Pentagon said earlier that the F-35C took part in US military airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen over the weekend and released footage showing two of the jets taking off from the deck of the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which is deployed to the Middle East.
A US defense official said that mission was the first operational combat flight by the F-35C, meaning all three variants of the aircraft have now seen combat. It also marks the latest new development in the American military's ongoing counter-Houthi campaign.
The F-35 Lightning II is a single-engine, multi-role strike stealth fighter jet made by American defense company Lockheed Martin. It has three variants: the F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C. The Air Force operates the A, while the Marine Corps and Navy operate the other two airframes.
Aircraft from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) support operations against Iran-backed Houthis in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. pic.twitter.com/8Y4yqsAepd
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) November 12, 2024
The A and B variants flew combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq in the late 2010s, but the carrier-based F-35C — which boasts a hefty price tag of $102 million — had not done so until now.
The F-35B first saw combat with the US military in 2018 airstrikes against the Taliban. The F-35A was then used for the first time in a US combat mission the following year in strikes against ISIS. The F-35 first saw combat in general with the Israeli military.
The F-35Cs aboard the Lincoln are attached to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314. The carrier's air wing also consists of F/A-18 Super Hornet, EA-18 Growler, E-2 Hawkeye, and MH-60 Sea Hawk squadrons.
The USS Carl Vinson is the only other Navy carrier equipped with F-35Cs. No other countries operate this specific variant, but a number of allies field the A and B variants.
At a Tuesday briefing, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters that the F-35Cs took part in airstrikes targeting Houthi weapons storage facilities on Saturday and Sunday. The Iran-backed rebels have routinely used missiles and drones to target military and civilian vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over the past year.
It's unclear what munitions the F-35Cs used in the weekend mission. The aircraft can carry precision-guided bombs, standoff weapons, and air-to-air missiles.
Following the strikes, the Houthis on Monday launched a complex attack on two Navy destroyers transiting the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait. Ryder said that US forces "successfully" defeated the attack, which consisted of at least eight anti-ship missiles and eight drones.
"The vessels were not damaged; no personnel were hurt," he said.
The recent engagements came against the backdrop of similar exchanges of fire over the past few days that occurred between American forces and other Iranian groups in Syria.
Since Sunday, US personnel have come under fire at two different bases in the country, and in both instances, American forces responded to the attacks by striking Iran-linked targets.