The skies of Tehran reportedly witnessed an Israeli Air Force F-35I fighter jet shooting down an Iranian jet on Wednesday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said. It was a Russian-made Yak-130 jet that the Islamic Republic lost in the aerial combat, Israeli media reports said. THE WEEK, however, could not independently verify this claim.
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The incident is the first instance of a manned aircraft being downed by an F-35, which entered service in 2015. If true, it is also the first air-to-air combat manned aircraft kill for the Israeli Air Force in about four decades, the report added. According to the Times of Israel, the last time IAF jets shot down a manned enemy aircraft was on 24 November 1985 over Lebanon, when its F-15s managed to take out two Syrian MiG-23 fighters. Interestingly, Israel in May 2018 had become the first country in the world to use the F-35 in a combat mission when they were used to strike targets in Syria.
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The Yakovlev Yak-130 is a subsonic two-seat advanced jet trainer and light combat aircraft that is being marketed as a potential light attack aircraft.
"An IAF F-35I “Adir” fighter jet shot down an Iranian Air Force YAK-130 fighter jet. This is the first shootdown in history of a manned fighter aircraft by an F-35 “Adir” fighter jet," the official confirmation by IDF read.
F-35I fighter jets
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The F-35A is the US Air Force’s fifth-generation multirole fighter jet, known for its stealth capabilities. The Israeli Air Force is among the 12 wings operating the F-35 across the global fleet. They are designed to operate from aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, and bases with limited runway length. According to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, there are almost 1,300 aircraft in service, and it will remain an indispensable contributor to global security for decades to come. While the US has the most capable and advanced version, every other nation it sells the fighter jet receives a lesser fighter.
The aircraft’s capabilities include low-observable stealth, advanced sensors, networking and data fusion capabilities, and a helmet-mounted sight. Its weapons include the AIM-120 AMRAAM, the AIM-9X “Sidewinder” short-range air-to-air missile, GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) guided bombs, laser-guided bombs, and an internal 25 mm GAU-22/A cannon. The weapon payload is 8,160 kg.
According to available information, the Israeli Air Force operates a fleet of 48 F-35I "Adir" fighter jets. The IAF declared its F-35 fleet "operational" on 6 December 2017, a year after receiving its first two aircraft from the United States.
