A happy customer is a great salesman and an asset. Word of mouth is a foundation of success, especially when it can be coupled with examples—a real-world demonstration of the product’s attributes or capabilities.
Whatever you may think about Israel’s “decapitation” attack on Iran (or what followed), one thing stands out. Regardless of party or politics, the F-35 used by Israel’s Air Force is American-engineered and built, and if you need to kill people to blow stuff up, the success of that campaign was a heck of an F-35 advertisement.
“Show more “to see more, to which we have to add this. Someone asked Grok what made the F-35 “better,” and then what are the differences were between the American and Israeli versions.
The F-35 Lightning II stands out with stealth tech, reducing radar detection, advanced AESA radar, DAS, and EOTS for superior situational awareness, and network-centric warfare for real-time data sharing. Its precision strikes and electronic warfare capabilities disrupt enemy defenses. However, high costs and maintenance issues raise concerns about readiness.
Israel’s F-35I Adir has custom Israeli electronic warfare systems, software, and weapons like Rafael Spice bombs. Reports suggest extended range for long missions, possibly without refueling. These modifications enhance regional effectiveness but spark debate over costs and fairness, as Israel uniquely customizes its jets.
If the global surge in interest or demand alluded to in point two of the tweet above is real, then the rise in manufacturing and tech jobs, engineers, fabrication, and electronics will create a lot of additional jobs. US jobs (funded by foreign investment) create downstream advantages across the services economy, as people buy more, eat out, and travel (including local and regional tourism).
The same is true for any project involving things you actually need (unlike Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act). Not that the military-industrial complex isn’t a laundromat in and of itself, but it can and does make things with a practical use in our sometimes-violent world.
No, the F-35 tactical strike on Iran was never meant to be an advertisement for US war machines, but that appears to be a beneficial local side effect—jobs, commerce, and so on.
We must, of course, note some potential for unpleasant side effects. Iran still has proxies and presumably assets in America. China is an ally of Iran, and they share an interest in disrupting US domestic tranquility. Terrorist or targeted action was always likely, and the Iran bombing is as likely as anything to prompt a call to blow some stuff up across the fruited plain.
They want to do that anyway, of course, but then, Mr. Trump has been quite clear about blowing up things, big things in the Mullah’s sandbox (like the Mullahs themselves) if anything like that happens and can be linked to them. Maybe even if it can’t.
