Israel Iran war: US F35 fighter jet shot down
Iranian media has claimed that an F-35 stealth fighter aircraft has been shot down over Central Iran. This is the second F-35 aircraft that Tehran has claimed to have shot down in the 35-day conflict that began on February 28.The Iranians had claimed to have shot down another F-35 fighter aircraft on March 23. That claim was rebutted by the US Central Command, which is spearheading Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
The Americans did acknowledge that an F-35 made an emergency landing at a friendly airbase (on March 23) and that the pilot of the aircraft was wounded, but stable.The F-35 is a single engine fifth generation fighter aircraft and is designed to be low observable on radar. Because of its low observable nature the aircraft is seen as the tip of the spear by air forces across the world. The aircraft is in service with twelve air forces across the world and eight nations are awaiting deliveries of this fighter.The aircraft is considered the most advanced fighter currently in service and comes equipped with a sophisticated set of sensors and avionics. The F-35 is designed to fight in a network-centric environment, this means that the fighter can seamlessly communicate with other aircraft and systems, giving the pilot of the aircraft a complete picture of the combat environment. The aircraft also has electronic warfare and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.The United States has been intensifying its aerial bombing blitz across Iran and as per the latest reports released by the US Central Command well over 12,000 targets have been destroyed in Iran. The US and Israel have till now depended on an aerial campaign to degrade Iranian military capability, but a limited troop build-up is currently underway in theatre, for what is likely to be a limited ground operations.
Israel Iran war: US F35 fighter jet shot down
