U.S. F-35 makes emergency landing after apparent Iranian strike
A U.S. F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at a U.S. air base in the Middle East after it was apparently struck by Iranian fire, according to CNN. The pilot is in stable condition.
“We are aware of reports that a U.S. F-35 aircraft conducted an emergency landing at a regional U.S. airbase after flying a combat mission over Iran,” CENTCOM spokesman Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins said in a statement. “The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition. This incident is under investigation.”
CNN, citing two sources familiar with the matter, reported that the aircraft is believed to have been struck by Iranian fire. CENTCOM did not say whether the aircraft had been hit or whether the pilot was injured.
Fars News Agency, an Iranian state-affiliated outlet linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, published video it said showed the moment an American F-35 was struck by air defenses operated by the IRGC Aerospace Force. The video has not been independently verified.
Fars said the aircraft was hit over central Iran at about 2:50 a.m. local time by what it described as a “new advanced air defense system,” causing serious damage to the aircraft.
The F-35 is a fifth-generation stealth fighter used by the U.S. military for air-to-air combat and strike missions.
The incident comes a week after another U.S. military aircraft was lost during Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. combat operation against Iran. All six crew members aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq were later confirmed dead.
CENTCOM has said the KC-135 was flying over friendly airspace when it was lost and that the crash was not caused by hostile fire or friendly fire. The circumstances of that incident remain under investigation.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
