Israeli F-35I "Adir" shoots down Iranian Yak-130 over Tehran — first-ever F-35 air-to-air kill in history

تفصیلات

During the 10th wave of IDF strikes on Tehran, an Israeli Air Force F-35I "Adir" stealth fighter shot down an Iranian Air Force Yak-130 light combat/trainer jet north of Tehran — the first air-to-air kill ever achieved by an F-35 against a manned aircraft, and the first IAF aerial kill against a crewed aircraft since November 1985 (when F-15s downed Syrian MiG-23s over Lebanon). The IDF released cockpit radio audio in which the Israeli pilot reported "I executed, the target was hit, we continue the attack." IDF Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar commended the pilots as part of Operation Roaring Lion. The Yak-130 — one of eight Russia-supplied aircraft Iran received in September 2023 — was conducting a counter-drone patrol when it was intercepted. Unverified open-source footage showed the aircraft going down in a mountainous area north of Tehran with two possible ejections; both pilots' fates were not immediately confirmed. Iran's IRGC initially misidentified the aircraft as "an Israeli drone shot down by air defenses" before Iranian state media corrected the report.