In a landmark development in the ongoing war against Iran, an Israeli Air Force F-35I “Adir” stealth fighter jet has shot down an Iranian Yak-130 advanced trainer aircraft over the skies of Tehran, marking the first-ever confirmed shootdown of a manned fighter by an F-35 in combat history.
This was the first dogfight in the ongoing war in middle east. It also marks the first-ever downing of a manned aircraft by an F-35 fighter jet made by the USA.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, the fifth day of the intensifying war between Israel, the United States, and Iran, which began with joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets on February 28. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the downing via their official X account, stating: “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.”
🛩️IRANIAN JET SHOT DOWN: An IAF F-35I “Adir” fighter jet shot down an Iranian Air Force YAK-130 fighter jet.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 4, 2026
This is the first shootdown in history of a manned fighter aircraft by an F-35 “Adir” fighter jet.
The Yak-130, a Russian-made subsonic trainer often used by Iran for light combat roles, was reportedly armed with air-to-air missiles and deployed for patrols over the Iranian capital amid heightened threats from coalition forces.
Iranian state media has not yet confirmed the loss.
Although Yak-130 is primarily a twin-seat trainer jet, used to train pilots to operate more modern Russian jets like SU-57 and others, it can also be used in combat. Notably, this trainer jet is a more advanced jet than other fighter jets Iran operates, like F4 and F5.
This is the first time the IDF has shot down an enemy aircraft in the air in the last 40 years. In the last such incident, an Israeli Air Force F-15 “Baz” had downed two Syrian MiG-23 fighter jets in November 1985 over Lebanon.
The F-35I, Israel’s customised variant of the Lockheed Martin stealth fighter nicknamed “Adir” (meaning “Mighty One” in Hebrew), has been a cornerstone of Israel’s operations, including strikes on Iranian missile systems, leadership targets, and air defences.
Over the weekend, approximately 200 Israeli jets, including F-35Is, in what the IDF described as “the most extensive aerial operation ever” under Operation Roaring Lion, targeted over 500 Iranian missile launchers and defence systems. The operations continued on Tuesday night, targeting several infrastructure sites supporting the Iranian military.
This included a complex used by Iran for storing and launching ballistic missiles, including “Qadr” missiles, in Isfahan in western Iran. Many other sites used for storing ballistic missiles and defence systems of the Iranian terror regime were also attacked, as per the Israeli Air Force.
