Iran says shot down F-35 fighter jet with new defence system

A US F-35C Lightning II landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln on March 7.

Photo: US Navy via Reuters Iran on Friday said it shot down an F-35 fighter jet.

A statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran’s elite military force, said the fighter jet was shot down over Iranian airspace by a new, advanced defence system.

There was no initial confirmation of the incident from the United States, which has been waging war against Iran alongside Israel since February 28.

The IRGC said the F-35 was the second to have been shot down. “Due to the complete destruction of the aircraft, there is no information regarding the fate of the pilot,” the statement said.

It is unlikely that the pilot survived, the IRGC said.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has recently dismissed Iranian reports of successful takedowns of US fighter jets.

Last month, however, the US military acknowledged that a US F-35 aircraft conducted an emergency landing after flying a combat mission over Iran, stating the pilot was in stable condition.

On Thursday, the command denied that one of its planes was shot down over the Iranian island of Qeshm in the south of the country.

The F-35 jet, manufactured by the US company Lockheed Martin, is one of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world.

There have been no confirmed cases to date of an F-35 being shot down in an armed conflict.

Additional reporting by Reuters

原文链接: 南华早报