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Iran claims to have shot down another US F-35 fighter jet using its advanced air-defence system, raising pilot survival concerns after a massive explosion. This follows previous claims of downing an F-35, highlighting upgrades in Iran's air defence capabilities.
Iran Claims Downing of Second US F-35 Fighter Jet by IRGC Air Defence System(Photo by Dirk Waem / Belga / AFP)Iran has claimed that it has shot down another US fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet over central Iran by a modern air-defence system of the Islamic Republic's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iranian state media reported on Friday. It further reported that the pilot is unlikely to have ejected,
Spokesman of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters said, the jet was downed by a new IRGC Aerospace Force air-defence system and the crash generated a "massive explosion" that made pilot survival unlikely, the report said.
"A second US fifth-generation F-35 was struck and downed over central Iran by a new IRGC Aerospace Force air-defence system. Given the massive explosion on impact and during the crash, the pilot is unlikely to have ejected," Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters Spokesman stated as quoted by Press TV.
In a similar claim, Central Headquarters of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) stated that an advanced stealth aircraft was shot down by the IRGC's modern air defence system from the Lakenheath squadron.
"The second US F-35 fifth-generation fighter jet was hit and crashed in the central Iranian sky by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' modern air defence system from the LAKEN-HEATH squadron. Due to the severe explosion of the fighter jet upon impact and fall, it is unlikely that the pilot ejected," PBUH stated as reported by IRIB.
First US F-35 Lightning II was downed last month
Earlier on March 19, Iran claimed it had become the first country to strike a US F-35 Lightning II—one of America’s most advanced and costly fighter jets, and a key pillar of its fifth-generation combat capabilities. A CNN report also confirmed that an F-35 did perform an emergency landing after an Iranian surface-to-air missile (SAM) barrage, with the pilot safe and an investigation underway.
IRGC said it had successfully hit a US Air Force F-35 stealth fighter jet in central Iran's airspace. According to a statement released by the IRGC on its official news website on Thursday, the jet was struck at 2:50 am local time by the IRGC's advanced, modern air defence systems.
"The fate of the fighter jet is unclear and under investigation, and the likelihood of its crash is very high," it said.
The IRGC noted that the interception follows the successful downing of more than 125 US-Israeli drones by Iran's defence systems, signalling significant and purposeful upgrades in the country's integrated air defence network.
(With inputs from agencies)
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