By Ivan Kesic
The Iranian armed forces have reportedly shot down at least three Israeli F-35 fighter jets, marking the first time a fifth-generation stealth aircraft has been successfully downed.
On Saturday afternoon, the Iranian Army’s Public Relations Office announced that Iranian air defenses had taken down a third Israeli F-35 stealth jet, following the destruction of two other jets the previous night.
This makes Iran the first country in the world to shoot down a fifth-generation stealth fighter, 14 years after it famously downed an American RQ-170 Sentinel reconnaissance drone.
The Israeli F-35s were intercepted by Iran’s Bavar-373, a long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system designed to counter aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.
The Bavar-373 is capable of engaging targets at considerable distances, including advanced stealth fighters like the F-35 and F-22—the latter operated exclusively by the United States.
The F-35 fighters represent the most advanced aircraft in the Israeli Air Force, outclassing older, non-stealth F-15 and F-16 jets by a full generation. These jets were acquired from the United States, with the F-35 Lightning II manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
Israel’s customized variant, the F-35I, is engineered for radar evasion, enabling deep penetration missions with a reduced risk of detection or interception.
Despite its stealth capabilities, newer air defense systems developed by several countries, including Iran, have demonstrated the ability to detect and shoot down these aircraft.
By downing three enemy stealth fighters, Iranian air defenses have shattered the long-standing myth of Israeli “air superiority” cultivated over two decades.
The fact that these aircraft were destroyed within 48 hours, while their crews were captured, killed, or remain missing, demonstrates a high level of tactical sophistication in the command and control of Iranian armed forces.
Notably, Israeli aircraft operated with relative impunity on the first night, underscoring the strategic tactics employed by Iran to plan and execute the successful shootdowns later.
Falling for the bait
The Israeli F-35s were destroyed in Iranian airspace on the second day of Israeli aggression on Iran, after the regime commanders believed they had severely damaged Iranian air defenses on the first day, Friday.
While the number and usual deployment of Iranian radar batteries can be estimated from open-source and intelligence data, distinguishing real air defenses from decoys remains challenging. These decoys are intended to mislead anti-radiation missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.
During the attacks, Israeli regime forces primarily used drones equipped with electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) sensors to strike radar installations. However, once these drones detonate, their sensors are destroyed, leaving operators uncertain whether they eliminated real radar systems or decoys.
Reconnaissance drones and satellites offer insufficient resolution for precise damage assessment. The only reliable verification would require agents on the ground deep inside Iran—a high-risk and unlikely scenario.
Iran has long been known to employ sophisticated military decoys, including radar batteries. These decoys are far more advanced than simple wooden mock-ups; some emit false radar signals to mimic real activity and can cost upwards of $10,000 each.
On the first night of the Israeli regime’s attacks on mostly civilian areas in Tehran, Iran combined decoys with strategic deception by withdrawing many real radar batteries from service and hiding them, while exposing only mock-ups.
Israeli drones targeted these apparent radar sites, believing they had crippled Iranian defenses and gained air superiority.
This miscalculation proved costly. On subsequent attacks, Israeli fighter jets ventured deeper into Iranian airspace, unaware that functional radar systems had been reactivated. Iranian air defenses surprised the Israeli Air Force by engaging and shooting down several advanced stealth fighters.
Had Iranian forces attempted to down jets on the first night without this element of surprise, their success would have been doubtful. Additionally, any wreckage from early shootdowns would likely have fallen into neighboring Iraq, offering Iran little opportunity for technological study.
Denial and concealment
Predictably, the Israeli regime has denied it to maintain morale among its already embattled forces and protect the false reputation of its supposedly “invincible” air power.
Acknowledging losses would also strain relations with the United States, which fears advanced Israeli F-35 technology falling into the hands of Iran, or potentially Russia or China.
The US restricts F-35 sales to a select group of trusted allies, including Israel, under strict conditions (Turkey, for example, has been excluded). The F-22 Raptor, the second American stealth fighter, is not exported to any allies due to its highly sensitive technology.
Loss of these fighters would be a major blow to American military prestige, as demonstrated by the fallout from Iran’s downing of the RQ-170 Sentinel, which reportedly informed Iranian drone and subsystem development.
Despite numerous unofficial photos of wreckage circulating online, the Iranian armed forces have yet to release official images of the downed F-35s.
This restraint likely aims to conceal the extent of recovered technology and prevent adversaries from accurately assessing which advanced systems Iran and its allies may soon exploit.
