Iran on Friday said its air defence systems shot down an F-35 fighter jet, the second such claim since the conflict began on February 28.
The state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting quoted the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters as saying that Iran’s air defence systems targeted an aircraft belonging to a squadron linked to RAF Lakenheath (Royal Air Force Lakenheath, UK).
While there was no independent confirmation of the claim, the Iranian military officials said that the pilot may have been killed after the jet exploded on impact in Central Iran.
Iran had made a similar claim on March 19, when an F-35 fighter jet was attacked during an Iranian strike, forcing it to make an emergency landing at a military base in the Middle East.
The claim, first made by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was the first known instance of Iran’s air defence systems hitting one of the US military’s most advanced and expensive aircraft in the ongoing conflict.
A video shared by Tehran Times showed the moment a US F-35 fighter jet was hit during a combat mission over Iranian airspace. Smoke trails could be seen coming out of the jet following loud explosions as the jet veered off course.
#BREAKING
The moment F-35 fighter jet was hithttps://t.co/VtLT5vz5it pic.twitter.com/641qTFE8A3— Tehran Times (@TehranTimes79) March 19, 2026
Later, in a statement, the IRGC said it had “struck and seriously damaged” the aircraft at around 2.50 am (local time). It also added that there was a “high possibility” of the jet crashing.
However, the 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,” spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins told CNN on March 20.
The F-35 is 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.
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