Pentagon confirms Iranian fire damaged U.S. F-35 fighter jet
The U.S. Department of Defense has, for the first time in an official report, confirmed that one of its F-35A stealth fighters was damaged by “enemy fire” during a combat mission over Iran. The incident had previously been described by U.S. officials only as an “emergency landing.”
According to CNBC, citing a Pentagon inspector general report to Congress, this is described as the first recorded combat damage to an F-35 fighter during military operations. In the report, the aircraft is listed among weapons systems damaged by enemy fire.
Capt. Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesman, had previously said the fighter was forced to make an emergency landing at a U.S. base in the region while carrying out a combat mission over Iran. At the time, he said the aircraft and pilot landed safely and that the cause of the incident was under review, but he did not comment on whether it may have been hit by Iranian fire.
The inspector general’s report also says there was further damage to U.S. military equipment. According to the report, by the end of June, four F-15E fighters and one A-10 attack aircraft had been destroyed, and seven KC-135 tanker aircraft had also been damaged or destroyed.
The report adds that several helicopters and more than 30 U.S. drones were also lost or damaged during the war. The U.S. Air Force has said each F-35A is worth about $92 million, while the price of each F-15E was recorded at $31.1 million in 1998.
The F-35A is considered one of the U.S. Air Force’s most advanced combat aircraft and is known as a fifth-generation fighter. Confirmation of damage to the aircraft in an official document is regarded as a rare event from both a military and media perspective.
