But there was a catch. By the Air Force's own reckoning, the F-35A with Block 3i software wouldn't be able to fight in the most dangerous environments without unacceptable risk to its pilots. Where before the Air Force required that its Initial Operational Capability F-35s be capable of offensive air-to-air missions and the suppression of enemy air defenses in a heavily opposed "anti-access" environment, under the new planning the initial F-35s would be suitable only for "basic" close air support and other ground-attack missions and "limited" defense-suppression -- and none of it in anti-access airspace.To meet a deadline that Congress found acceptable, the Air Force decided to debut F-35s that it knew full well wouldn't actually be combat-ready in any meaningful sense of the term. In May 2013, the flying branch submitted its F-35 IOC date to Congress and then, according to the history, "began the tense wait to see if the JSF program could fulfill its promises over the next three years."