US F-35 Jet Makes Emergency Landing After Iran Mission

A United States F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at a military airbase in the Middle East after completing a combat mission over Iran, according to US military officials.

The aircraft landed safely on Thursday, and the pilot is reported to be in stable condition. Captain Tim Hawkins, spokesperson for the US Central Command (CENTCOM), confirmed the incident and said an investigation is currently underway.

“We are aware of reports that a US F-35 aircraft conducted an emergency landing after a combat mission over Iran. The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is stable. The matter is under investigation,” Hawkins said.

While the exact cause of the emergency landing has not been officially confirmed, reports suggest the aircraft may have been hit during the mission. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed it targeted a US aircraft, but the US has not verified this claim.

The F-35, one of the most advanced and expensive fighter jets in the world, costs up to $100 million. Despite being used in combat since 2018, there have been no confirmed cases of an F-35 being hit by enemy fire until now.

The incident comes amid ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, which began on February 28. Since then, the US has reportedly lost around 12 MQ-9 Reaper drones.

In another development, US officials said that five KC-135 refuelling aircraft were damaged in a missile strike at a base in Saudi Arabia, although this has not been independently confirmed.

Earlier this month, three US F-15E fighter jets were also shot down in a friendly fire incident involving a Kuwaiti F/A-18 jet. All crew members were safely rescued.

So far, at least 13 US service members have been killed and around 200 injured in operations related to the conflict. On the Iranian side, local authorities report over 1,400 deaths and more than 18,000 injuries.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that America’s objectives remain unchanged. These include destroying Iran’s missile systems, weakening its defense capabilities, and preventing it from developing nuclear weapons.

He also said there is no fixed timeline for the end of the military campaign. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump stated that he is not planning to deploy additional troops at this time.

US military officials added that operations are ongoing, with strikes increasing deeper inside Iranian territory, although Iran still retains some missile capabilities.