From the controlled [?] Russian media outlet Sputnik a very dull, repetitive and misleading headline
"More Bang, More Buck: US Considers Adding ICBM Interceptors to F-35"
"In all likelihood, adding more bells and whistles to the F-35 can only make its $1.5 trillion program price more expensive, while experts have questioned if the plan is even realistic."
"The Pentagon's top research official is mulling whether to add air-to-air interceptors to the F-35's weapons arsenal in order to give the stealth fighters anti-ballistic missile capabilities, a new report says."
F-35 a POSSIBLE mission of missile interceptor but ONLY indirectly so.
The sensors of the F-35 have a POTENTIAL anti-missile capability. Those highly advanced sensors as embedded in the F-35 able to detect and track the boost-phase launch of an ICBM, providing to GROUND BASED anti-ballistic-missiles of the THAAD variety valuable data essential to a successful intercept.
This very topic as was discussed in a previous blog entry:
https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/12/f-35-icbm.html
Please Sputnik, do not be so alarmist or misleading. Stick to reality and watch your headlines.
coolbert.
