Details have emerged on a US Air Force F-35A that was severely damaged by a surface-to-air missile over Iran on March 19, marking it as one of approximately 20 US aircraft known to have been damaged or destroyed in the nearly three-week-old war.
Air & Space Forces Magazine, the official journal of US Air Force, cited sources familiar with the incident as saying that the aircraft was most likely damaged by a surface-to-air missile, given the altitude at which the F-35 typically operates.
Although US Central Command (CENTCOM) has not provided further details, the incident is reportedly under investigation by military officials.
Iran has developed air defense systems that can use passive infrared sensors rather than radar to target aircraft, a solution that previously proved effective in Yemen when employed by Ansarullah, which downed around half a dozen MQ-9 Reapers during Operation Rough Rider last year.
The F-35 reportedly made an emergency landing at an airbase in the region, and the pilot was injured by shrapnel. CENTCOM reportedly declined to comment further when asked about the incident on March 22.
On the same day, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) posted a video showing an F-35 being targeted and struck by an Iranian air defense system.
The IRGC said to have “severely damaged” the F-35. Iran's air defense systems, which use passive infrared sensors to target aircraft, have proved effective in previous engagements, such as when downing multiple MQ-9 Reaper drones.
The F-35, designed to evade radar detection, remains vulnerable to infrared targeting, which homing systems use to track heat signatures.
The incident marks one of about 20 US Air Force aircraft that have been damaged or destroyed during the ongoing terrorist war on Iran, which began nearly three weeks ago.
On March 2, three F-15E Strike Eagles were shot down over the Persian Gulf. A KC-135 Stratotanker also crashed in western Iraq on March 12, killing all six crew members aboard, while another KC-135 sustained severe tail damage but was able to land.
President Donald Trump later acknowledged that at least one KC-135 had been damaged during Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Additionally, about a dozen MQ-9 Reaper drones have been lost in the war, some of which were damaged on the ground by Iranian forces. These losses have not been publicly disclosed.
Press TV’s website
