Confidence in the ability of the much maligned F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter to dominate the Russians in Europe and the Chinese in Asia remains high among the U.S. and NATO generals that will lead F-35 units in the event of war.

Their confidence stems from the overwhelming victories in simulated aerial combats against U.S. fourth generation fighters such as the F-15 Eagle and the testimonies of F-35 pilots surprised at the ease with which they racked up kills against their opponents. The "kill ratio" in these air-to-air combats ranged from 24-0 to 8-0 for the F-35, depending on the number of fighters involved.

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Lt. Gen. Tod Daniel Wolters, Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, said that for Russian pilots, fighting against the F-35 would be something like death insurance.

"What we are perfectly convinced of is the fact that when we do bring fifth-generation assets into the European region it is something that certainly serves as a deterrent," said Gen. Wolters.

"It forces the Russians to take a look at what we are doing and to realize that if they had to embrace us they might be in a position where they had to jump into a boxing ring and fight an invisible Muhammad Ali."

He noted that U.S. observations of Russian activities in the area of command and control reveal the Russians "are extremely challenged. So our sense is, from a fifth generation standpoint that we would have great success."

Lt. Gen. Dennis Luyt, Commander of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, agreed with Gen. Wolters' observation, saying the F-35 is a "jack of all trades" fighter with an asymmetric advantage over any other enemy jet.

"The unparalleled situational awareness in a platform like the F-35 brings to the fight I think something that any opponent would regard as a force to be reckoned with," said Gen. Luyt.

In Asia, the Pentagon will deploy the U.S. military's first operational F-35s to Japan this December as tensions with China over the South China Sea continue to simmer.

It said 10 F-35B Joint Strike Fighters of the U.S. Marine Corps will move permanently to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan on or before December.

The F-35B is a short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the jet. It can also take-off and land vertically like a helicopter.

"I can't wait to get the airplane out to the Pacific," said Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, Deputy Commandant for Aviation, Headquarters Marine Corps.

"It's tailor-made for that part of the world with its fifth generation capability and its expeditionary capabilities to land on a small ship or strip, and flow back and forth between those."

Gen. Davis said the Marines' F-35s are ready for combat now if needed. He revealed the F-35s are doing a lot better in combat exercises than expected, achieving kill ratios of 24 to zero in mock aerial combats against other jets, and surviving every sort of simulated enemy attack.

"It is like watching a velociraptor going through. Everything in its path is killed," he said.

The F-35Bs can be armed with AIM-120 AMRAAM, AIM-132 ASRAAM and AIM-9 Sidewinders. It has a range of 1,670 kilometers and a top speed of 1,930 km/h.

TagsF-35 Lightning II, Lt. Gen. Tod Daniel Wolters, Lt. Gen. Dennis Luyt, Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, U.S. Navy, U.S Marines, South China Sea