Israel’s F-35I Records Its First Air-to-Air Kill

On March 4, 2026, the Israeli Air Force announced that an F-35I Adir shot down an Iranian Yakovlev Yak-130 over Tehran, marking the first confirmed air-to-air kill of a manned aircraft by an F-35 anywhere in the world. The engagement lasted only a few seconds, according to an IDF spokesman. It was also the first time an Israeli fighter had destroyed an enemy manned aircraft in aerial combat since 1985.

The Aircraft Involved

The F-35I Adir is Israel’s customized variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. Israel modified the platform extensively, integrating domestically developed electronics, data-fusion systems, and Israeli-made weapons including the Python 5 air-to-air missile and Rafael’s SPICE precision bomb. The IAF received its first Adirs in late 2016 and currently operates approximately 50 aircraft across two dedicated squadrons, with a third squadron on order.

The Yak-130, designated “Mitten” by NATO, is a Russian-built subsonic advanced trainer capable of carrying up to 3,000 kilograms of weapons in a light attack configuration. Iran received its first batch from Russia in 2013, with deliveries reportedly completed at 12 aircraft by late 2024. In Iranian service the type primarily trains pilots transitioning to legacy combat aircraft, but it has demonstrated a secondary role operating alongside MiG-29s to intercept drones using short-range air-to-air missiles.

What Happened

Images circulating online on March 2 had already shown an Iranian Yak-130 armed with air-to-air missiles flying over Tehran, suggesting the aircraft was being used in a counter-drone role despite the ongoing Israeli and American air campaign battering Iranian military infrastructure. Two days later, an Israeli F-35I engaged and destroyed one of those aircraft.

The IDF confirmed the engagement publicly, stating the Adir shot down the Iranian aircraft over Tehran’s skies. The Israeli military provided no details about the specific weapon used or where the aircraft went down.

The Historical Weight

The F-35 entered operational service in 2015 and had been used extensively in strike, reconnaissance, and air defense suppression roles across multiple conflicts. Until March 4, 2026, it had never destroyed a manned aircraft in air-to-air combat. That milestone now belongs to Israel, the same nation that first used the F-35 in combat in 2018 during strikes against targets in Syria.

For the Israeli Air Force, the kill carries additional significance. The last time an IAF fighter shot down a manned enemy aircraft was November 24, 1985, when F-15s destroyed two Syrian MiG-23s over Lebanon. The gap between those engagements spans four decades of Israeli air operations conducted primarily through strike missions rather than air-to-air combat.

By the time the Yak-130 was shot down, the Israeli Air Force had already flown approximately 700 sorties over Iran, struck hundreds of targets including ballistic missile infrastructure and air defense systems, and claimed aerial superiority over Tehran within the first 24 hours of Operation Roaring Lion.