U.S. F-35 Hit by Iranian Munition, Makes Emergency Landing
A U.S. Air Force F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at a U.S. airbase in the Middle East after allegedly being struck by Iranian fire.
Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said the fifth-generation stealth jet was “flying a combat mission over Iran” when it was forced to divert and land. Hawkins said the aircraft landed safely and that the pilot is in stable condition.
According to Hawkins, the incident is now under investigation. U.S. officials have not confirmed whether the aircraft was hit, but two sources familiar with the matter told CNN that the jet was struck by what is believed to be Iranian fire.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement, accompanied by video footage, that it targeted a U.S. F-35A/B Lightning II with a surface-to-air missile over Iranian airspace.
“The hostile U.S. army’s F35 fighter jet in central Iranian airspace at 2:50 AM today was hit and seriously damaged by the advanced new air defense system of the IRGC Aerospace Force — The fate of this fighter jet is unknown and under investigation, and it is very likely to have crashed,” IRGC said.
If confirmed, the incident would mark the first time Iran has successfully struck a U.S. aircraft since the conflict began in late February.
Hours after Iran claimed to have struck a U.S. F-35 over Iran, Iranian media reported that a second American F-35 fighter jet was hit while operating in the skies over Bandar Abbas Province in southern Iran. The claim has not been independently verified.
Open-source reports said the aircraft subsequently diverted and landed at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. Details surrounding the circumstances of the alleged strike, including the source of fire and the pilot’s condition, were not immediately available.
The report comes amid a series of recent U.S. aircraft losses tied to the ongoing conflict.
On March 12, six U.S. airmen were killed when a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq during combat operations. CENTCOM said the crew was executing a combat mission over friendly territory at the time of the crash and that the incident was not the result of hostile or friendly fire.
Earlier, on March 1, three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were shot down in a friendly fire incident involving a Kuwaiti F/A-18. All six crew members aboard the F-15s ejected safely and were recovered.
Earlier this week, the U.S. military said that 13 U.S. service members have been killed so far in combat operations against Iran, with roughly 200 wounded.
