An Israeli Air Force F-35I Adir stealth fighter shot down an Iranian Yakovlev Yak-130 jet over Tehran, marking the world’s first record of an F-35 shooting down a manned combat aircraft.
The episode occurred five days after the start of the joint offensive between Israel and the United States against Iran, called Operation Epic Fury, and was officially confirmed by the Israel Defense Forces on social media.
According to the Israeli military, the Yak-130 was hit in aerial combat while flying over the Iranian capital. Until then, F-35s had only been used against unmanned targets such as drones. The last aerial confrontation between manned aircraft involving Israel occurred in 1985, when an Israeli F-15 shot down two Syrian fighter jets during fighting in Lebanon.
Developed as an advanced trainer, the Yak-130 can also perform light attack and reconnaissance missions, carrying up to 3 tons of weapons and equipment. In Iran, the aircraft is mainly used to train pilots intended to operate older models of the fleet, such as F-14, F-4 and MiG-29. Previous reports already indicated that the jet was being used in secondary air defense missions, including intercepting drones.
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The slaughter came amid a broader military escalation. The operation led by Washington and Tel Aviv mobilized tens of thousands of American troops, as well as hundreds of aircraft and warships in the region. US officials called the offensive an unprecedented move to neutralize Iran’s ability to threaten American interests, while Israel signaled the campaign could last for weeks, although with no plans to deploy ground troops.
Source: New York Post / The Aviationist | Photo: X @front_ukrainian | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
❗️The IDF states that an 🇮🇱Israeli Air Force F-35I Adir shot down an 🇮🇷Iranian combat-training Yak-130 in the skies over Tehran.
If confirmed, this would be the world’s first instance of a manned flying aircraft being downed by an F-35 fighter jet. pic.twitter.com/kRsXyWHZZl
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) March 4, 2026
BREAKING : An Israeli F-35 has shot down an Iranian fighter jet (Yak-130) over Tehran.
This is the first time in the world that an F-35 has shot down a fighter jet in a dogfight.#MiddleEastConflict#USIranConflict #USIranWar #iran #IranIsraelWar #Israel #TelAviv #IranWar pic.twitter.com/3F2nkr8fCE— Kamalraj Singh (@kamalrajsingh_) March 4, 2026
