The American Israeli war against Iran is turning into a massive fiasco, as for the first time in the history of the current conflict a United States F-35 fighter aircraft was hit by Iranian air defense and made an emergency landing while carrying out a combat mission over the country, as reported by CNN.
After the unprecedented strike, the American aircraft made an emergency landing at a United States air base in the Middle East, after being hit by fire believed to have originated from Iran, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Specifically, Major Tim Hawkins, spokesperson for the United States Central Command CENTCOM, stated that the fifth generation stealth aircraft “was carrying out a combat mission over Iran” when it was forced to proceed with an emergency landing.
Tim Hawkins stated that the aircraft landed safely and that the incident is under investigation.
“The aircraft landed safely and the pilot is in stable condition,” added Tim Hawkins.
“This incident is under investigation,” he emphasized.
The moment of the destructive strike on the American fighter
????⚡️BREAKING: Iran releases footage of a direct hit on a US F-35 fighter jet by air defense forces.
— MonitorX (@MonitorX99800) March 19, 2026
This is the first ever hit on the 5th generation fighter jet. pic.twitter.com/O1f5nMWDML
The first strike against an F-35 in the history of the war
The incident marks the first time that Iran has struck a United States F-35 aircraft in the war that began in late February.
Both the United States and Israel use F-35 aircraft in the conflict, with the cost of each aircraft exceeding 100 million dollars.
The emergency landing comes as senior American officials continue to speak of a “huge success” in the campaign against Iran.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated on the morning of Thursday that the United States is “decisively winning” and that Iran’s air defense has been “leveled.”
Iran revealed how it struck the American F-35: We prepared a surprise for the United States after the 12 day war
It is noted that the United States F-35 fighter aircraft was hit by a new air defense system developed by Iranian experts after the “12 Day War” of June 2025, as revealed by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran.
After the “12 Day War,” new experts from the Aerospace Forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps IRGC succeeded in creating new air defense systems and integrating them into the country’s unified air defense system, according to a statement by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran.
These were exactly the systems, the statement claims, that “struck the fifth generation F-35 aircraft.”
As previously stated by the Revolutionary Guards, Iranian air defense systems shot down a United States Air Force F-35 over the central region of the country, with the fighter sustaining severe damage.
Iran has destroyed or damaged 11 American aircraft in the Middle East
According to a list from CENTCOM summarizing officially confirmed incidents of aerial shoot downs, accidents, and damage in the war, the United States air force has suffered the following losses:
1) Boeing KC 135 Stratotanker: 7, with 6 destroyed or severely damaged
2) F 15E Strike Eagle: 3 shot down, the American version speaks of friendly fire
3) Lockheed F 35 Lightning II: 1 damaged
4) Total United States aircraft: approximately 11, 7 KC-135, 3 F-15, and now 1 F-35
Many other aircraft, unmanned, transport, passenger aircraft involved in the conflict, have also been destroyed or damaged, for example MQ 9 Reaper, aircraft of other countries, increasing the total number appearing in many sources.
The biggest armaments fiasco of the modern era
The F-35 was presented as the ultimate multi role fighter, designed to cover the needs of the United States Air Force, the Navy, and the Marines, as well as its NATO allies.
From 2001 to today more than 19 countries have participated in or invested in the program.
The total cost has already exceeded 2 trillion dollars, making the F-35 the most expensive armaments program in the history of the planet.
And yet the final product is a fighter that continues to face problems of reliability, maintenance, operation, and performance.
The official admission that critical capabilities will not be implemented means that the United States sold a dream and delivered an incomplete, unstable, problematic system.
Political and geostrategic consequences
The issue is not simply economic or technological. It has extremely serious geopolitical and diplomatic implications.
Countries such as the United Kingdom, Italy, Norway, Greece, Israel, Japan, and Australia have invested billions of dollars in the program, with the promise that they would acquire the most advanced fighter aircraft in history. Now these countries see that the capabilities they were promised will never be realized and the cost continues to rise.
The credibility of the United States as an exporter of military technology is suffering a serious blow.
Future sales of transformational systems, such as the upcoming NGAD or other artificial intelligence and drone collaboration programs, are very likely to be met with skepticism and distrust by foreign partners.
From technological marvel to political scandal
The promise behind the F-35 was impossible from the outset, a single aircraft that would cover the needs of different military branches, would be stealth, supersonic, network centric, and all this at low cost. This vision was politically useful, but technically unfeasible.
The F-35 program evolved into a political tool serving interests, distributing jobs, and maintaining internal and international alliances.
It was never a purely military project.
Its failure therefore is not simply technical, it is institutional.
It is proof of the failure of the entire Western military industrial complex model, which allows private giants to mislead governments, parliaments, and societies with hollow promises of “military superiority.”
Strong concerns
The admission of the F-35’s failure by the United States government itself must become a turning point.
Not only for the United States, but for the entire NATO and the countries that rely on American technologies for their security.
1) How many other armament programs are doomed to failure due to poor design and political pressure?
2) How can a country plan its defense when even the most ambitious and expensive program proves illusory?
3) What does this mean for the military balance against powers such as China or Russia?
The discussion is just beginning. The F-35 is not only a failure. It is a symptom of deeper strategic decline.
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