The Kill That Made History: F-35 Shoots Down Manned Aircraft for the First Time

On March 4, 2026, the Israeli Defense Forces released footage of an Israeli F-35I Adir destroying an Iranian Yak-130 over Tehran in air-to-air combat. The engagement was over in seconds. Its significance will outlast the conflict it happened in.

It was the first time an F-35 had ever shot down a manned aircraft anywhere in the world. Since entering operational service in 2015, the F-35 had been used extensively in strike missions, reconnaissance, and air defense suppression across multiple conflicts. It had destroyed drones. It had never killed a crewed aircraft until that moment over the Iranian capital.

The Aircraft Involved

The F-35I Adir is Israel’s domestically modified version of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. Israel integrated its own command and control systems, data-fusion architecture, and Israeli-made weapons including the Python 5 air-to-air missile and Rafael’s SPICE precision munition.

On the other side, the Yakovlev Yak-130 is a Russian-built advanced jet trainer capable of mimicking the handling and systems of front-line fighters to prepare pilots transitioning to aircraft like the MiG-29 or Su-35. It carries modern cockpit displays, two engines, and a top speed just below supersonic. While not designed for high-end air combat, it can carry bombs, rockets, and air-to-air missiles for light attack and patrol roles.

What It Means

The last time an Israeli fighter destroyed a manned enemy aircraft in air-to-air combat was November 1985, when IAF F-15s shot down two Syrian MiG-23s over Lebanon. The gap between those engagements spans four decades of Israeli air operations conducted almost entirely through strike missions rather than aerial combat. That gap closed over Tehran on day five of Operation Epic Fury.

More than 1,000 F-35s have been delivered to operators worldwide. The aircraft has flown combat missions for the United States, Israel, and the United Kingdom. It took until March 2026 for any of them to record a confirmed kill against a crewed aircraft.