A US Air Force pilot suffered shrapnel wounds when a US F-35 fighter jet was struck while flying over Iran last week, Air and Space Forces Magazine has reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) hasn’t shared any details about the incident other than acknowledging that the F-35 was hit, made an emergency landing, and that the pilot was in “stable” condition.
The Air and Space Forces report said the jet was hit by ground fire, most likely a surface-to-air missile rather than small-arms fire or another projectile, due to the altitude at which F-35s fly.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) posted a video on March 19, the day the F-35 was hit, that purported to show the aircraft being hit by Iranian air defenses. “The fate of the fighter jet is unclear and under investigation, and the likelihood of its crash is very high,” the IRGC said.
A Pentagon official told The Hill on Friday that since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28, at least 232 US service members have been injured by drone and missile attacks across the Middle East. The US military has confirmed that at least 13 US troops have been killed in the conflict.
