An Israeli pilot in a U.S. built F-35 stealth fighter took out a manned Russian-made Iranian fighter jet over Tehran early Wednesday, reportedly a historic “world first” during Operation Epic Fury.
An Israeli F-35 ‘Adir’ fighter jet, using the jet’s Hebrew name that translates to “Mighty One,” downed a Russian-made Yak-130 in air-to-air combat, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on X.
“This is the first shootdown in history of a manned fighter aircraft by an F-35 ‘Adir’ fighter jet,” the IDF said.
Until now, in the assault on Iran the F-35 jets, a product of the U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin, have reportedly only downed unmanned military targets, including drones.
It’s also the first time in more than four decades that the Israel Air Force engaged in air-to-air combat with manned aircraft.
“The last time IAF jets shot down a manned enemy aircraft was on November 24, 1985, over Lebanon. In that incident, an IAF F-15 downed two Syrian MiG-23 fighters,” according to the Times of Israel.
Footage believed to be the Iranian jet crashing over the Lavasan Mountains just north of Tehran — as onlookers can be heard yelling in Farsi — was posted on X, though the video has yet to be verified by the IDF.
“The downing of the fighter airplane came soon after Israel confirmed “broad-scale” strikes were underway in Tehran and other cities as part of the Israeli and US joint operation,” according to the New York Post.
The commander of the Nevatim Airbase, who identifies himself only by his rank as a brigadier general and his first initial, told reporters that the F-35 was in the midst of targeting regime sites in Iran when the Russian-made jet was identified as a threat in the air space.
The jet “locked on and launched” a missile at the aircraft, he said according to the Times of Israel report, adding that the aviator “knows how to do this very quickly and accurately.”
The pilot who shot down the jet was relatively junior in the force, though his mission was not his first flight into Iran, the base commander said.
“The Iranian Air Force understands that it is inferior and under significant threat. Despite this, it is trying with its remaining capabilities to carry out missions that will disrupt us. That was the situation that led to the shootdown,” he said.
He added, “We encounter the enemy during our sorties in Iran, but it is a weak enemy.”
The joint U.S. Israeli operation to destroy Iran’s military and leadership entered its fifth day on Wednesday.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
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