Iran claimed to have seriously damaged a United States (U.S.) F-35 fighter jet using its air defence systems on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
An alleged video shared by the Iranian Consulate General in Mumbai shows a missile hitting its target.
The consulate captioned its post on X (formerly Twitter), “Footage of F-35 being targeted by the IRGC Aerospace Force’s air defence. A world first; now registered in Iran’s name.”
Earlier, CNN reported that a damaged U.S. fighter jet had returned to a nearby base.
The aircraft was flying a combat mission over Iran when it was reportedly struck by hostile fire from Iran.
According to a spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Capt. Tim Hawkins, “The plane landed safely. The pilot is in stable condition.”
The U.S. military has launched an investigation into the incident.
The incident marks the first hit by Iran on an actively flying U.S. fighter jet since the start of the conflict nearly three weeks ago. However, the U.S. has suffered losses of other aircraft, including the three downed by friendly fire in Kuwait and several others reportedly hit while stationed at U.S. military bases in the Middle East.
Both Israel and the U.S. are flying F-35 for their military strikes on the Islamic Republic.
The stealth jet costs around $100 million per unit.
The development comes after the U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth claimed Thursday morning that the U.S. Air Force had “flattened” the Iranian air defences.
Salient features of the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet?
F-35 Lightning II is the world’s only 5th generation multirole stealth fighter jet developed by American defence tech company Lockheed Martin.
Its stealth capability means that it is extremely difficult to get detected by enemy radars while flying combat operations in war zones.
The jet first entered service with the U.S. Marines in 2016 and has 1 million plus fight hours.
The vast majority of its combat operations have been air-to-ground strikes rather than air-to-air combat.
However, it has achieved a significant number of kills, including Iranian drones in 2021 and a manned Iranian-made Yak-130 fighter in March 2026. It has also successfully intercepted a cruise missile.
