Israel's F-35I Shot Down An Iranian Airplane Over Tehran For The First Time In History
- 4.03.2026, 12:26
The case was a precedent for this model.
Israel's F-35I has shot down a manned fighter jet for the first time in the world. The incident took place in the skies over Tehran and set a precedent for the model.
The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday morning that an Israeli Air Force F-35I Adir fighter jet shot down an Iranian YAK-130 aircraft over Tehran. The military stressed that this is the first time in the world that an F-35 has destroyed a manned combat aircraft, writes cursorinfo.co.il.
The last time the Israeli Air Force shot down an enemy aircraft was on November 24, 1985. Then, in an air battle over Lebanon, an F-15 Baz fighter destroyed two Syrian MiG-23s. No such episodes have occurred since then.
IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Efi Defrin is expected to comment on developments on various fronts. He is likely to touch on the fact that the plane was destroyed. His press statement is due to begin at 11:00.
Overnight, ministers were sent a briefing paper summarizing the air force's performance since the start of Operation Lion's Roar. It indicated that the air force has been striking infrastructure in Iran, including targets in the center of Tehran. The intensity of the attacks is increasing.
The Air Force has flown about 1,600 combat sorties over Iran since the start of the operation. Aircraft have dropped some 4,000 weapons. On the fourth day of the campaign, the number of munitions used exceeded that of the entire previous Operation "People Like a Lion".
The army later announced the start of the tenth wave of strikes on Iran. This came on the fifth day of Operation Lion's Roar. The fighting continues.
Lockheed Martin said it delivered a record number of F-35 aircraft in 2025. It delivered 191 vehicles to customers during the year. The figure was the highest ever and surpassed the previous record of 142 airplanes per year. Among the countries that increased orders were Denmark and Italy.
The company said a month ago that the aircraft had proven its capabilities in various conflict zones. They mentioned the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Iran. Now 12 countries are operating this low-observable fighter jet. In total, more than 1,300 F-35 aircraft have been delivered to the world.
First time: an F-35I shot down an Iranian plane over Tehran
Israel's F-35I shot down a manned fighter jet for the first time in the world. The incident took place in the skies over Tehran and was a precedent for the model.