A video shared by Tehran Times claims to show the moment a US F-35 fighter jet was hit during a combat mission over Iranian airspace. The clip shows the aircraft appearing to take damage, with explosions, smoke trails, and the jet veering off course mid-air.
A US F-35 fighter jet was attacked during an Iranian strike and forced to make an emergency landing at a military base in the Middle East, according to CNN. The claim, first made by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), would mark the first known instance of Iran hitting one of the US military’s most advanced and expensive aircraft in the ongoing conflict in Middle East.
According to the IRGC, the stealth jet was struck by air defence systems over central Iran in the early hours of Thursday. A video shared by Tehran Times claims to show the moment a US F-35 fighter jet was hit during a combat mission over Iranian airspace. The clip shows the aircraft appearing to take damage, with explosions, smoke trails, and the jet veering off course midair.
In a statement, the IRGC said it had “struck and seriously damaged” the aircraft at around 2.50 am (local time), adding that the jet’s fate remains unclear and that there is a “high possibility” it may have crashed. The group also said the operation followed the interception of more than 125 US-Israeli drones, calling it evidence of improvements in Iran’s air defence systems.
If confirmed, the incident would mark the first time Iran has successfully targeted an F-35, a fifth-generation fighter jet that costs more than $100 million and is considered a cornerstone of US air power. Both the US and Israel have been deploying F-35s extensively since the conflict escalated on February 28.
US CONFIRMS EMERGENCY LANDING, PLAYS DOWN DAMAGE
According to CNN, US Central Command said the aircraft was “flying a combat mission over Iran” when it was forced to make an emergency landing. “The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition,” spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins told CNN. “This incident is under investigation.”
However, Washington has not issued any official statement. The Pentagon said its operations are going as planned, with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth saying the US is “winning decisively” and that Iran’s air defences have been “flattened”.
Amid escalating conflict, at least 16 US aircraft have reportedly been destroyed since the start of the war, including 10 Reaper drones, while several others have been damaged in combat or accidents.
[ADDENDUM]
The actual video of the event, plus more, from The Hindustan Times:
The fact that most videos “cut” quickly after the impact actually makes me think this footage is real.
Iran obviously wants to flex here. So they say it was “shot down” (technically true, it was hit and had to make an emergency landing).
So they cut the footage at the explosion so anyone watching can infer (incorrectly) that it was completely destroyed but Iran can still technically be reporting a true event.
If they were gonna fake it they’d just have longer footage with the aircraft gone.
So, it’s more a means of war propaganda (that both sides are engaging in right now). But likely real footage of the incident.
Either way, this is a flex for Iran. America’s flagship stealth fighter being hit and tracked without its knowledge (I’m inferring from its lack of flare or evasive flight) is insanely damaging to its image of air dominance. Anyone saying otherwise is coping.
Not many people seem to understand how big of a deal this is.
Like… all F35 operating countries now have maybe what, 2 years, max, maybe considerably less, before they have to entirely rethink their aerial doctrines?
This is insanely bad.
I can basically guarantee anybody that Russia and China already have all the info from this event.