Last Updated:
Iran claimed the survival of the F-35 fighter jet pilot was unlikely due to serious injuries, although the US Central Command has not confirmed the strike
A US F-35 fighter jet. (Reuters)
Iranian semi-official Mehr News Agency claimed that a second US F-35 fighter jet had been shot down in central Iran, adding that it was unlikely that the pilot survived due to serious injuries, reported Reuters.
However, there has been no confirmation from the US Central Command (CENTCOM) as of now. If Iran’s latest claims are true, it would mark a significant Iranian counterattack, given that the F-35 is one of the most advanced US stealth fighter jets capable of avoiding radar detection and operating inside heavily defended airspace. Even damaging such an aircraft would puncture the “stealth dominance” narrative of the US.
This came nearly two weeks after Iran claimed to have struck a US F-35 Lightning 2one of the most valuable US aircraft and the backbone of the US’s fifth-generation warfighting capabilities.
Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command, said the fifth-generation stealth jet was “flying a combat mission over Iran” when it was forced to make an emergency landing. Hawkins said the aircraft landed safely and the incident is under investigation. Two sources familiar with the matter told CNN that the aircraft was damaged by Iranian fire.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released a video that purportedly showed a missile hitting the aircraft mid-air. “The US military’s F-35 strategic fighter jet was hit and seriously damaged in the central Iranian sky at 2:50 a.m. today by the IRGC’s advanced modern aerospace defense system,” the IRGC said at the time.
The US has lost other aircraft in the war. Three US F-15 fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defences, and a KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq, killing all crew members aboard.
Meanwhile, Iran also fired missiles at Israel and some Gulf nations while explosions were heard in Tehran and the central Iranian city of Isfahan on Friday, as the US prepared to further reinforce its already significant military forces in West Asia. Several oil refinery units in Kuwait reported fires after a drone attack.
April 03, 2026, 10:45 IST
Read More
Source link
[ad_3]
