There's already been a confirmed F-35 damaged by a "bird strike" over Syria... The F-35 was certified against bird strikes to a higher standard than most other American jets. Given the amount of lies coming out of the IDF in the Gaza conflict, I wouldn't be surprised if the F-35 was targettable by Russian S-200/S-300 systems and the IDF is covering it up to avoid absolutely destroying the international reputation of the F-35.

The problem is, Canadian F-35 operations in the Arctic (really, the only area we have to defend against Russia) would almost certainly require drop tanks. In that scenario, the F-35 is fucked. This is even as F-35 maintenance requires the use of American military contractors that can be weeks or even months away, particularly if we do decide to operate F-35s out of Arctic bases.