Overview
- The Israel Defense Forces released footage that it says shows an F-35I intercepting and destroying an Iranian Yak-130 over Tehran, with cockpit audio stating, “Completed. Target down.”
- Israeli officials described the engagement as the first time an F-35 has shot down a piloted enemy aircraft in air-to-air combat.
- Israeli Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar praised the pilots and framed the interception as part of the ongoing Operation Roaring Lion.
- The Yakovlev Yak-130 is a Russian-made advanced jet trainer with limited light-attack capability, and reports differ on when Iran received the type, citing either 2013 or September 2023.
- Reporting notes Iran is believed to field only a small number of Yak-130s, so the loss of one aircraft could meaningfully constrain pilot training capacity.