Shortly after Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) reported that a second US F-35 fighter jet was destroyed in central Iran by their Aerospace Force’s new defense system, the country’s Tasnim News Agency stated that US forces are searching for the ejected pilot. The search operation, involving Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 Hercules aircraft, has not yet been successful in recovering the pilot.
Following the fighter jet’s destruction, the pilot ejected and landed within Iran, as per the report. The IRGC had earlier identified the doomed fighter jet as belonging to the Lakenheath squadron. The intruding fighter jet was confirmed to have been completely destroyed and crashed by the IRGC.
Reports from Tasnim indicated that the US pilot has been captured by Iranian military forces. There are suggestions that the Americans attempted to extract the pilot from Iran’s borders, believing he might be alive. However, sources indicate that the pilot is likely in Iranian custody.
Last week, the IRGC claimed to have struck a US F-16 Fighting Falcon and an MQ-9 Reaper drone in Iran’s southern airspace. The strikes were part of retaliatory operations against US and Israeli heavy industries, following joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran that began in late February. Tensions have escalated, with Iran and its allies responding with attacks on US and Israeli interests in the Middle East.
