Illustrative image. (Israeli Defense Forces)
An Israeli Air Force (IAF) F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jet shot down a Russian-made Yak-130 trainer jet of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) over Tehran, the capital of the Islamic Republic, the Israeli military announced on March 4.
The incident marks the first-ever downing of a manned aircraft by an F-35. It also marks the first time in some 40 years that the IAF has engaged in air-to-air combat with manned aircraft.
The IAF operates a special version of the F-35A modified with Israeli-made systems. This version is known as the F-35I “Adir”. At least 48 are currently in service with the air force. The main computer of the fighter jet has a plug-and-play function for add-on systems; proposals include an external jamming pod, and new Israeli air-to-air missiles and guided bombs in the internal weapon bays.
Israel was the second country after the United States to receive the F-35. The country declared the F-35I operationally capable in 2017.
In the very same year, the IAF said that one of its F-35s was damaged as a result of a bird strike while on a reconnaissance mission over Lebanon. Nevertheless, it was later reported that the fighter jet was hit by a missile launched from a Syrian Soviet-made S-200 long-range air defense system.
Later in 2018, Israel became the first country to use the F-35s in combat. The fighter jets were reportedly used to attack targets in Syria.
In 2021, IAF F-35 fighter jets shot down two Iranian drones, carrying weapons to the Gaza Strip. This was the first operational shoot down and interception carried out by the F-35.
A second Israeli F-35 was slightly damaged by a bird strike while taking part in the country’s Independence Day fly-by in 2023.
The IRIAF received at least two Yak-130 from Russia sometime in 2023. As an advanced trainer, the jet is able to replicate the characteristics of several fourth-generation and fifth-generation fighters. The jet can perform light-attack and reconnaissance duties, but it is not equipped with a radar and can only carry short-range air-to-air missiles.
Soon after the outbreak of the war, an Iranian Yak-130 was spotted flying over Tehran, in what was assumed to be a drone hunting mission.
Click to see full-size image. (X)
Considering that the jet was downed over Tehran, it is very possible that the IAF was monitoring these sorties and planned an ambush.
The IAF is yet to provide visual evidence of the aerial kill, although a video showing a large aircraft falling from the sky near Tehran was linked to the engagement. Another video that emerged around the same time shows what appears to be an F-35 dropping flares somewhere over the Islamic Republic.
Drones aside, since the start of the American-Israeli war, visual evidence confirmed the destruction of four warplanes of the IRIAF.
Two American-made F-5 and an F-4 Phantom II fighter jets were destroyed in Israeli strikes that hit Tabriz Shahid Madani International Airport in northeast Iran. Footage of the strikes were released by the IAF on March 1. The next day, March 2, the U.S. Central Command released footage of the destruction of two Soviet-made Su-22s on the ground.
Additionally, the IAF on March 4 released footage showing a strike on what appears to be a Russian-made Mi-17 military transport helicopter somewhere in Iran. It was suggested, however, that the strike actually hit a painted helicopter decoy.
Israel has lost several drones, but no manned warplanes. From its side, the U.S. lost three F-15E Strike Eagles, all were shot down in an alleged friendly-fire accident over Kuwait.
A report published by The Wall Street Journal on March 4 revealed that all three fighter jets were shot down by a single Kuwaiti Air Force F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet that was on a drone hunting sortie. Iran claims, however, that the jets were downed by its air defenses.
Both sides are expected to take additional aerial losses as the war, which quickly escalated into a regional conflict, will likely go on for weeks.
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look at it from another perspective. maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if iran fell maybe the iranians would flee to moscow and punish the traitorous alawites there. maybe we’d just find the assad family and the rest of the traitors slaughtered in a roadside ditch one morning. the assad and rest (all hassans) family would no longer count on mathematics lectures at moscow university.they would have to settle the accounting and pay the betrayal.
israel has to boost morale by shooting down a 1940s plane…hahahahaha……try that against an equal peer. the jews will be hiding like bitchezz……epstein pedos are evacuating the middle east. all ussa bases are burning. amerikunts are leaving. ussa troops are crying. jews are walking into a quagmire in lebanon.
ruzzian made unreliable yak fighter trainer..
yes . unreliable !
if ussa is a dog, israel is the fleas. without the dog, the fleas cannot survive
if the iranians were smart, they would arm the ecuadorian gangs and make the boss of the ecuadorian gang the boss of ecuador. and by the way, they wouldn’t let assad fall. and if he did fall, the iranians would take maher (that fat ball) in iraq and put him in charge of syria. so don’t say that iranians are smart, because they are not.
so the f-35 (nato codename “flying turd”) managed to shoot down two drones and a trainer jet, to date?
impressive……😂
russiab yak — literally meaning “yuck!”
death to russia for what they are doing to iran.
and china is still just a pathetic dog with its tail betwern its legs.
they both deserve what comes next for them.
and all we can do is watch.
the u.n. is and was created as a zionist empowerment.
russia china and the u.s. are zionist lapdogs.
russia and china are looking like pussies i have to say. iran is the real champion taking the fight against the epstein pedophiles. putin and dimitriev still talking to witkof and kushner? wtf. and china not cancelled meeting with trumpstein. why zelensky still alive?
“it was suggested, however, that the strike actually hit a painted helicopter decoy.” either that or israel is posting ai generated videos as part of it’s propaganda warfare, which wouldn’t surprise me at all. and actually… looking at the videos it does seem like the most probable explanation!
the attack on iran is all part of god’s plan. chumpo was anointed by jesus to bring on the battle of armageddon (apparently) (allegedly.) that certainly puts my mind at rest.
so the bombing of the girls school is necessary for the return of the son of god to earth. only chumpo, god’a anointed, can do this (apparently.)