The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Flew Well Against Iran for One Reason: The Pentagon Finally Gave It the Parts. The Bill to Keep Doing That Is $13,700,000,000.

The F-35 flew well in Operation Epic Fury, the Iran campaign that opened in March 2026, and Air Combat Command's Brig. Gen. Brian Laidlaw told the Air & Space Forces Association on September 14 why: the jets finally got priority for spare parts and logistics.