WANA (Apr 03) – The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that a second advanced U.S. F-35 Lightning II fighter jet was shot down over central Iran by a newly deployed air defense system of its Aerospace Force.

 

In a statement, the IRGC said the aircraft belonged to the Lakenheath squadron and was completely destroyed upon impact. It added that this marks the second such aircraft downed by IRGC air defenses within the past 12 hours.

 

According to the IRGC, the fate of the pilot remains unknown due to the complete destruction of the jet. It noted that the intensity of the explosion at the time of impact makes the possibility of the pilot ejecting unlikely.Second U.S. F-35 Fighter Downed Over Central Iran, IRGC Says