Salute!
Not surprising, or maybe it is, but somebody realized we had a 2nd generation low observable platform to use for training and development of tactics when future adversaries have LO platforms, manned and UAV's.
Gotta talk with some of my friends that flew the things, but previous rejoins seem to indicate that the 117 was more optimized for surface-to-air systems than A2A. And that makes sense, as our primary threat at the time was heavily dependent upon good GCI to get interceptors into a firing solution.
Some of us have questioned using F-35's in Red Flag, as "exposure" can be exploited by potential adversaries. Better to keep the actual capabilities as "hole cards", huh?
Gums sends...