Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on Friday, April 3, 2026, that its Aerospace Force shot down a second US F-35 stealth fighter jet using a “new advanced defense system” over central Iran. The IRGC reported that the aircraft, which reportedly belonged to the RAF Lakenheath squadron, was completely destroyed and crashed.
The semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that the pilot ejected from the plane and landed inside Iranian territory in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province. It cited sources who claimed that the US military launched a search and rescue operation involving Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 Hercules aircraft to retrieve the pilot. According to Tasnim, this attempt failed, and there are indications that the pilot may have been captured by Iranian forces. Some Iranian outlets suggested a reward for locals who could help capture the pilot alive.
The claim comes amid rising tensions in the ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict, which began with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026. Iran responded with retaliatory attacks on US and Israeli targets. Earlier, the IRGC claimed it had shot down a US F-16 and an MQ-9 Reaper drone, as well as several other drones in southern Iran last week.
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