That framing isn’t right. The F35 is not sent in to “win.” it has a specific mission. With regard to winning, both the USSR and the US (or China,etc.) could win a war in AF. The question is are they willing to do what it would take? The answer is no. It would cause too many casualties (no one is willing to bear that, even the taliban). So war becomes more a tool to serve a policy rather than a way to vanquish an enemy.