Iran reaffirms downing of second US fighter jet

Tehran, March 3 (Prensa Latina) Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the downing of a US fighter jet in the central region of the country, marking the second such incident since the start of the war.

April 3, 2026
13:43

In a statement, the Iranian force asserted that its “advanced” air defense systems neutralized the aircraft, without specifying the exact location of the impact or offering further details about the operation.

According to the same source, the pilot’s whereabouts are unknown due to the “total destruction” of the aircraft.

Iranian media disseminated images and videos that they claimed showed wreckage from the downed aircraft. However, analysis of the images has raised doubts about the aircraft model.

Although the IRGC claimed it was an F-35 fighter jet, some visual indications suggest the wreckage could be an F-15, due to markings identified as “US Air Force Europe” and structural characteristics of that model.

The Iranian statement indicated that the aircraft belonged to a squadron based at RAF Lakenheath in the UK, an installation that hosts US Air Force units periodically deployed to the Middle East.

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