An Israeli Air Force F-35I “Adir” fighter jet shot down an Iranian Yakovlev Yak-130 warplane over the airspace of Tehran on Wednesday morning, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. This is the first reported case of an F-35 downing a manned aircraft in combat, the military stated.
“Early in the morning, an F-35I ‘Adir’ fighter aircraft downed an Iranian aircraft,” said in a statement from the IDF that this action took place in the context of ongoing actions in the theater, stating that this is the first recorded incident of F-35 against a manned aircraft and it is also the first manned aircraft downed by the Israeli Air Force since 1985.
No information is given on how a manned fighter was on Iranian airspace in Tehran and in this context. Independent verification is not yet possible and Iran has not confirmed any loss of this fighter plane by the Iranian air force, as of this report.
The Yak-130 is a Russian-made advanced trainer and light attack aircraft operated by the Iranian Air Force and while can be used for some combat roles, it is not a “front line fighter”.
This event is happening in the context of increasing confrontation and attacks from Israel, the US and Iran across the region.
