Iran claims historic strike against US F‑35 fighter, jet damaged

Iran & US – (Web Desk) – Iran says it seriously damaged a U.S. F-35 fighter jet on Thursday, March 19, 2026. The attack reportedly came from Iran’s air defense systems.

A video shared by the Iranian Consulate in Mumbai shows a missile hitting its target. The consulate wrote 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.”

Iran just released footage reportedly showing one of its air defense systems successfully hitting an American F-35. pic.twitter.com/lWxzJsw5PN

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 19, 2026

CNN earlier reported that the damaged U.S. fighter jet managed to return to a nearby base. The plane was on a combat mission over Iran when it was hit.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said, “The plane landed safely. The pilot is in stable condition.” The U.S. military has started an investigation into the incident.

This is the first time Iran has reportedly hit an actively flying U.S. fighter jet since the conflict began nearly three weeks ago. However, the U.S. has lost other aircraft before, including three downed by friendly fire in Kuwait and several others damaged at 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.

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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.

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The vast majority of 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.