According to new reporting from the New York Times, a Houthi surface-to-air (SAM) missile barely missed an American F-35 fifth-generation fighter, the crown jewel of the U.S. fighter inventory. The F-35, participating in Operation Rough Rider against the Houthis, was forced to take evasive action to avoid the missile.
The incident raises questions about the survivability of one of America’s most advanced fighters, and raises concerns over how effective the relatively unsophisticated Houthi air defense system has been at hampering U.S. action.
TBF, taking down an advanced USA fighter jet is a tad less impressive when they are apparently falling into the sea on a regular basis
At least some of those aircraft appear to be falling into the sea because Aircraft Carriers are having to make rather extreme turns, evasive manuevers, in order to evade other Houthi missiles / drones.
https://www.newsweek.com/satellite-image-shows-us-carrier-that-lost-plane-making-dramatic-turn-2065407
Those were F/A-18 Super Hornets from the aircraft carrier. Not as advanced as you might think.
An order of magnitude cheaper
Well, they’re not the so-so hornets. So like, a little advanced.
Advanced enough to not take a swim while on duty.
True. Still, not exactly something 3rd world countries (or many 2nd-world) can produce.