Israel has recorded its first air-to-air success with the Lockheed Martin F-35I Adir, with one of its stealth fighters having destroyed an Iranian aircraft over Tehran on 4 March.
Announcing the development, the Israel Defence Force (IDF) identified the destroyed threat as having been a Yakovlev Yak-130.
The twin-engined, Russian-built jet is employed by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) as an advanced trainer. While Tehran’s exact fleet composition is uncertain, aviation analytics company Cirium records it as having had two Yak-130s in use prior to the latest conflict involving Israeli and US combat assets.
Israel operates conventional take-off and landing F-35s in the national-specific I-model Adir variant, which features multiple updates provided by the nation’s defence industry. Cirium data shows that it has 48 examples in use.
The IDF did not provide further details of the engagement, such as the weapon employed during the clash.
While there has been little reported activity by the IRIAF since the launch of Operation Epic Fury/Rising Lion on 28 February, Qatar on 2 March reported that its air force had shot down two Sukhoi Su-24 ground-attack jets approaching Doha’s territory.
