In what may be one of the most consequential claims of the modern air war era, Iran has declared it has shot down a fourth Israeli F-35 stealth fighter jet over its territory. The downing, said to have occurred over Tabriz in northwestern Iran, allegedly marks a turning point in the ongoing shadow conflict between Iran and Israel, and potentially, a pivotal moment in global aerial warfare.
According to Iran’s state-run Press TV, the Israeli fighter was engaged and destroyed by a network of indigenous air defence systems during what Tehran describes as a “high-altitude offensive mission” targeting key military infrastructure. The Islamic Republic says this strike attempt—like the three that came before—was thwarted by its rapidly evolving and increasingly assertive air defence ecosystem.
“This marks the fourth hostile F-35 we have neutralized,” proclaimed Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili, a senior advisor in Iran’s air defense command. “We now possess the full capability to challenge stealth, and our skies will not be breached without consequences.”
The Iranian Armed Forces’ official statement added an ominous warning:
“We are in total control of our airspace. Every hostile intrusion will meet decisive and lethal resistance.”
Iran has now mapped out what it claims is a timeline of four downed Israeli F-35s—each reportedly falling victim to the overlapping web of Bavar-373s, Khordad-15s, Russian-origin S-300 systems, and newer domestically improved radar arrays and missile interceptors.
Iran’s Claimed F-35 Kill Log:
- Day One – Natanz: The first F-35 was allegedly intercepted while targeting the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility. Tehran says special forces recovered wreckage bearing “foreign serial identifiers.”
- Kermanshah: The second was reportedly taken out in western Iran, brought down through multi-spectral detection, suggesting successful defeat of the jet’s stealth contours.
- Bandar Abbas: The third was allegedly shot over the Persian Gulf coast while attempting to strike a naval facility near a major shipping and submarine hub.
- Tabriz – Latest Incident: The fourth shootdown over northwestern Iran comes amid escalating Israeli strikes aimed at suppressing suspected Iranian missile factories and drone production centers.
Iran further claims it has captured two Israeli pilots, while a third was “neutralized” post-ejection. While no images or videos of the pilots, debris, or engagements have been released, Press TV insists that “classified evidence” exists and will be released at a “strategically appropriate time.”
For its part, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has rejected all of Iran’s claims in their entirety. Colonel Avichay Adraee, spokesperson for the IDF’s Arabic media division, was blunt in his response:
“Fake Iranian media. This news being spread by Iranian media is completely baseless.”
No independent satellite imagery, third-party intelligence, or Western military confirmation has emerged to corroborate Tehran’s claims. However, Iran’s persistent and confident assertions have thrown a wrench into the regional perception of Israeli air superiority.
The F-35I “Adir”, the Israeli variant of the U.S.-built fifth-generation fighter, is considered among the world’s most formidable aerial platforms. It features advanced Israeli-made avionics, ECM (electronic countermeasures), and domestically tailored weapons systems that enhance survivability and combat reach in heavily contested environments.
With over 39 aircraft in operation and dozens more on order, Israel has structured much of its regional strike capability around the F-35I, relying on its stealth to conduct deep penetration strikes into adversarial airspace.
But Iran’s narrative now directly challenges the central pillar of that doctrine—invisibility.
At the heart of Iran’s reported success lies its claim that it can detect and defeat stealth, long seen as the holy grail of 21st-century air superiority.
Iranian sources state that the country has fused several systems:
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Long-wave VHF radars (which have a theoretical advantage against stealth-shaped airframes).
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Signal triangulation leveraging overlapping detection grids.
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EO/IR (Electro-Optical/Infrared) targeting systems for passive tracking.
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Artificial intelligence-driven threat classification algorithms, reportedly developed with the help of partners like Russia and possibly North Korea.
A senior Iranian engineer told Tasnim News that Bavar-373—an advanced long-range SAM platform inspired by Russia’s S-300 but upgraded locally—has been key in detecting “near-invisible” intrusions.
“Stealth is not invincibility,” the engineer said. “It is simply a challenge—one we’ve met.”
Despite the absence of independently verifiable wreckage, the persistence of Iran’s claims is having a ripple effect far beyond its borders.
U.S. officials, speaking anonymously to major media outlets, have acknowledged “electromagnetic irregularities” in Iranian airspace on multiple occasions over the past week. One official told Politico that while “there’s no visual confirmation,” the U.S. is “not discounting the possibility of engagement incidents.”
What’s certain is that perception warfare is underway—and Iran appears to be winning the narrative battle, if not the actual dogfights.
Iran’s claims come at a time of mounting pressure on the F-35 program itself. The Pentagon recently slashed FY2026 procurement of F-35As from 48 to just 24 aircraft, citing poor mission readiness and spiraling costs.
A Bloomberg investigation revealed:
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Mission capable rate: 51.5% in 2025, falling far short of the 75% target.
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Cost-per-flight-hour: Over $42,000, raising long-term affordability concerns.
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Maintenance delays: Logistics and part shortages remain critical bottlenecks.
Even the US$11.8 billion Lot 18 contract signed in December 2024, which included 48 jets, appears unable to revitalize waning confidence. Lot 19 has already seen delivery delays. Meanwhile, Boeing’s sixth-generation F-47 stealth fighter is gaining support as a potential successor.
2026 U.S. Aircraft Procurement Snapshot:
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Total aircraft budget: US$24.8 billion (RM116.4 billion)
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F-15EX program: US$2.5 billion
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KC-46A tankers: US$2.8 billion
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B-21 Raider bombers: US$4.7 billion
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Hypersonic ARRW missiles: US$387 million
If Iran’s claims are even partially accurate, the implications are seismic.
A nation under sanctions, with limited access to cutting-edge Western tech, defeating multiple F-35s would force a reevaluation of modern stealth warfare. More troubling for Israel and its allies is the psychological blow: the symbol of air dominance may no longer be untouchable.
- Doctrine disruption: Nations reliant on stealth for surgical strikes may need to rework their engagement rules and strike profiles.
- Defense rebalancing: Countries may invest more in EW (Electronic Warfare), drone swarms, and decoy technologies rather than leaning solely on stealth.
- Global arms race acceleration: Regional rivals like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, and India may now seek to augment their air defenses, hedging against once-thought invulnerable aircraft.
- Narrative victory for Iran: Even without proof, the optics of successful defense against top-tier Western military hardware boosts Tehran’s regional prestige and domestic legitimacy.
As of now, no photographic evidence, crashed fuselage, or pilot testimony has emerged to confirm Iran’s statements. Western satellites have not recorded any crash sites, and Israel remains adamant that not a single F-35 has been lost.
Yet, whether this is strategic misinformation, bravado, or battlefield reality, Iran’s messaging campaign is working. Tehran has managed to undermine confidence in the F-35’s superiority and rally domestic and international support by painting itself as David standing up to a high-tech Goliath.
And if even one F-35 was truly downed? The age of stealth invulnerability may be drawing to a close.
