Iranian state media, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported on March 19 that an American F-35 fighter jet was damaged by Iran’s air defense system during a mission over Iranian airspace. The reports said the aircraft was struck but did not provide technical details about the extent of the damage. Reports Dw.com.
A spokesperson for US Central Command, Tim Hawkins, confirmed that the aircraft made an emergency landing after the mission. According to CNN, which first reported the incident citing two sources, Hawkins said the jet landed safely and the pilot was in stable condition. He did not specify what caused the emergency landing.
The report comes weeks after another military aviation incident involving US aircraft in the region. In early March, several American fighter jets crashed over Kuwait. US officials said three F-15E aircraft were mistakenly brought down by Kuwaiti air defenses, and all six crew members ejected safely. Central Command said at the time that the cause was under investigation and more information would be released later.
Later, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with preliminary findings, that one of the F-15E aircraft may have been shot down by a Kuwaiti fighter jet. The latest F-35 incident is likely to draw new attention to air defense coordination and military operations in the Middle East.
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