On Wednesday, an ‘Adir’ (F-35I) Israeli Air Force fighter jet shot down an Iranian fighter jet (YAK-130) over the skies of Tehran.
During the operation, the Adir pilot can be heard saying, "I executed, target is down, attack continues."
"The Israeli Air Force continues to strike dozens of infrastructure sites belonging to the Iranian terror regime and is operating to obtain aerial superiority over the skies of Tehran," the IDF emphasized.
This is an unprecedented event marking the first-ever shootdown of a manned fighter jet by an F-35. Until now, the F-35 had only recorded interceptions of drones and cruise missiles.
The last time the Israeli Air Force shot down an enemy fighter jet was on November 24, 1985, during an aerial battle over Lebanon, when an Israeli F-15 “Baz" downed two Syrian MiG-23 aircraft.
The F-35I “Adir" is an upgraded Israeli variant of the fifth-generation stealth fighter F-35 Lightning II, produced by the American company Lockheed Martin.
The aircraft was specially adapted for the Israeli Air Force with advanced Israeli systems in communications, electronic warfare, and intelligence.
It is designed to carry out covert strike missions deep inside enemy territory, operate in highly contested environments, and suppress air-defense systems. It can also perform intelligence, airborne command and control, and real-time data sharing with other aircraft.