On January 1, a group of pro-Palestinian activists vandalized an aerospace components plant in Scotland indirectly connected to the F-35 program. No arrests have yet been made.
To date, no Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jet has ever been shot down by enemy fire. The fifth-generation stealth plane has remained unstoppable in the air. However, on the ground, the F-35 has faced a wide variety of threats—chiefly of a bureaucratic nature.
Supply chain disruption following the COVID-19 global pandemic delayed F-35 part shipments and hindered completion of the Technology Refresh-3 (TR-3) hardware and software upgrade. This, in turn, resulted in a year-long pause in deliveries. The aircraft were also found to have issues operating near actual lightning storms.
However, perhaps the greatest direct danger to the F-35 has been from pro-Palestinian activists in the United Kingdom, where they have carried out “attacks” on the firms producing components for the advanced multirole combat aircraft.
The most recent occurred just hours into the New Year, when masked activists wearing traditional Palestinian keffiyeh headscarves “smashed their way into the Bruntons Aero Products site, on an industrial estate outside Edinburgh,” the UK’s Telegraph newspaper reported.
The group posted videos of its “attack” on social media.
In the video, the individuals are seen smashing multiple computer servers and other machinery in the factory. They also spray-painted “There is only one way this ends,” and “Drop Leonardo” on the company’s equipment—the latter a reference to the Italian aerospace firm that produces components for the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO). Bruntons Aero Products is a subcontractor in the program, supplying parts to Leonardo and BAE Systems. The Scottish-based firm was founded in 1876 and today focuses primarily on the aerospace and defense markets.
“Leonardo has frequently been a target of pro-Palestine demonstrations in Scotland. In October, three groups blocked the firm’s factory entrance, claiming that it made components for F-35 fighter jets, which Israel uses in its bombardment of Gaza,” The National also reported.
No named organization has claimed responsibility for the New Year’s Day incident.
F-35s Were Also Targeted in an October 2024 Paint Attack
It is unclear if this recent not-so-daring raid on the Bruntons Aero Products is connected with an October 2024 incident that saw pro-Palestinian supporters attempt to disrupt F-35 production at Teledyne CML Composites in Bromborough, Wirral, England.
That attack was also carried out in support of the Palestinians during the Gaza War, with protestors scaling the building, cutting holes in the roof, and then spraying red paint on production equipment to symbolize the “bloodshed in Gaza.”
Teledyne CML Composites also manufactures components for the fifth-generation F-35. A group known as Palestine Action claimed responsibility for the incident and, in a social media post, vowed to carry out similar acts of “Resistance until victory!”
The activist group has carried out similar acts of vandalism, which it has described as legitimate protests, to disrupt military production throughout the UK.
Even as Iranian air defense systems proved to be effective in shooting down any Israel Air Force (IAF) F-35s in strikes carried out against the Islamic Republic last year, the use of red paint on equipment proved to be more effective in grounding the Lightning II. Shortly after the incident, Teledyne acknowledged that the damage to its clean rooms could halt production for up to a year.
It is unclear whether that actually impacted the IAF’s F-35s. However, Teledyne CML Composites makes components for systems being supplied to Ukraine—so Palestine Action’s actions likely only helped the Kremlin.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Shutterstock / Krumpelman Photography.
