A U.S. Air Force F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at an American airbase in the Middle East on Thursday after completing a combat mission over Iran, U.S. Central Command confirmed. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard immediately claimed it shot the plane down.
CENTCOM spokesman said the aircraft “landed safely” and the pilot is “in stable condition.” The incident is under investigation.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps moved quickly to declare victory. State media reported the IRGC struck the F-35 at 2:50 a.m. local time using what it described as an “advanced, modern air defense system.” The IRGC published infrared footage appearing to show a missile striking an aircraft in flight.
The footage has not been independently verified. CENTCOM’s statement directly contradicts Tehran’s claim of a crash, noting the jet landed under its own power and the pilot survived.
“The fate of the fighter jet is unclear and under investigation, and the likelihood of its crash is very high,” Iranian state media reported.
That claim conflicts with basic facts on the ground. The pilot is alive. The plane is at an American base. Neither detail is consistent with a shootdown.
The F-35A is the most advanced fighter jet in the American arsenal, combining stealth capability with cutting-edge electronic warfare systems. No American or Israeli manned aircraft has been confirmed lost to Iranian fire during Operation Epic Fury. The only confirmed allied aircraft losses so far have been attributed to friendly fire or mid-air collisions.
U.S. forces have operated with broad air superiority over Iran throughout the conflict. American deployment of older non-stealth aircraft, including B-52 bombers and A-10 attack planes, has been widely interpreted as a deliberate signal that U.S. planners feel confident enough to send legacy airframes into Iranian airspace with minimal risk.
Iran has strong incentives to manufacture or exaggerate claims of military success. The regime has faced significant setbacks during Operation Epic Fury, including the destruction of its naval fleet and the suppression of its air defense network.
CENTCOM has not released additional details about the nature of the emergency that forced the F-35 to land, though the incident remains under active investigation.
