US F-35 hit by suspected Iranian fire, forced to make emergency landing

2026.03.19 16:50 A US F-35C Lightning II lands on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln during Operation Epic Fury on March 7. Photo: US Navy via dpa A US F-35 fighter aircraft was hit by suspected Iranian fire and had to make an emergency landing on Thursday. This would be the first time Iran has hit one of the US$100 million planes since the US and Israel launched their attack on the country on February 28, according to CNN, which first reported the incident. The F-35 was “flying a combat mission over Iran”, a spokesman for US Central Command said. “The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition,” Captain Tim Hawkins said. “This incident is under investigation.” At least 16 US military aircraft have been destroyed since the start of the war with Iran, including 10 Reaper strike drones hit by enemy fire, with a half-dozen other planes badly damaged in attacks or accidents. The most serious losses were because of accidents: three US F-15s downed by friendly fire in Kuwait, and a KC-135 tanker destroyed during a refuelling operation. All six crew members on the tanker were killed in the accident. Five other KC-135s were reportedly damaged by an Iranian missile strike while parked at an airfield in Saudi Arabia. So far only the uncrewed Reapers have been brought down by Iranian defences, with at least nine being destroyed in the air, according to a person familiar with the matter. One was hit at an airfield in Jordan by a ballistic missile, people familiar with the matter said. The other two Reapers were lost to accidents. The drones are meant to be “attritable” – flown in higher-risk areas because they do not carry pilots and are much cheaper to replace than a crewed plane. Although Iran’s air defences were among the first targets of the US and Israeli air campaign, completely stamping them out – and establishing air supremacy – has remained elusive. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, has said that the US only has localisd air su

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