Russian Su-57 Fighter Jets Overmatched Against  US and NATO F-35 Firepower

Video Above: Patriot Interceptor Missiles & F-35s Could Defend NATOs Eastern Flank Together

By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

US Air Force F-35 5th-generation stealth aircraft are now seeking to keep Russian forces at bay with ongoing “Enhanced Air Policing” in high value areas such as the Baltics & Black Sea.

An interesting Air Force TV news report said eight new F-35As from the Vermont Air National Guard have been sent to NATO’s Eastern Flank for readiness and deterrence missions to include security operations and policing

“Rotating units maintains readiness across the force,” the Air Force TV report says.

Russian Military Held in Check

The abilities of the F-35, along with the fact that US Air Force 5th-generation jets greatly outnumber those operated by Russia, may be a large reason why Putin has been careful not to actually “confront” NATO. Certainly Putin’s rhetoric continues to be extremely hostile, threatening and inflammatory, yet thus far the Russian military has held itself in check when it comes to attacking NATO. Could the F-35 be a large part of this? It would make sense if it was.

Russia operates a large ground Army and sizeable arsenal of short, medium and long-range ballistic missiles, and could pose a significant threat to ground forces operating along NATO’s Eastern Flank, despite the questionable performance of the Russian Army thus far. Even considering its struggles and failures in Ukraine, the Russian Army does still operate a large amount of firepower, a fact often discussed by the Pentagon. A US-NATO-Russia ground confrontation would likely prove extremely costly, dangerous and ill advised, even if NATO forces are likely to prevail.