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An F-35 pilot explains how the stealth fighter can have a crushing psychological effect on the enemy

"People are so hellbent on shooting down the stealth fighter that they invariably make mistakes that I can exploit."

Retired US Marine Corps Maj. Dan Flatley will never forget the crushing feeling of helplessness he felt the first time he faced a stealth jet while he was flying in an F/A-18.

"I remember indelibly the moment in which the AWAC (airborne early warning and control plane) called out to me that there was a Raptor [an F-22 stealth fighter] in front of me at very close range that made me uncomfortable," Flatley told Business Insider in a phone interview.

"I had no way of targeting him, no way of defending myself."

Despite years of training to stay focused and level headed under the extreme pressures of air-to-air combat, a sense of dread set in.

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Before even seeing the F-22, Flatley had already surrendered his composure, and therefore his ability to effectively fight back.

Years later, Flatley would come to pilot the F-35 and even design the curriculum for training pilots in the fifth-generation fighter, where he would tap into the crushing psychological effect of fighting a plane you can't find.

While the F-35 represents the most expensive weapons system of all time, and is a frequent target of government critics who chastise the program for going over budget and schedule, Flatley says the real strength of stealth fighters doesn't show up in any budget.

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