A US F-35 fighter jet was forced to conduct an emergency landing following a suspected incident involving Iranian fire, as per sources from the US. Captain Tim Hawkins, a representative from US Central Command, verified to CNN that the advanced stealth aircraft was on a combat mission over Iran when the emergency landing took place at a US base in the Middle East. “The plane landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition,” stated Capt Hawkins, mentioning that an investigation into the incident is ongoing.
According to unnamed US sources disclosed by CNN, the costly aircraft, valued at over $100 million, was apparently targeted by what is believed to be Iranian fire. This potential incident could mark the first documented case of a US jet being hit by Iranian forces during the conflict.
Earlier, on March 2, during an Iranian air assault, three American fighter jets were mistakenly downed by friendly Kuwaiti fire as reported by the US military. Fortunately, all crew members from the F-15E Strike Eagles managed to eject safely and were in stable condition post-recovery.
Tragically, thirteen American service members lost their lives during the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Among them, six members of a US Army Reserve unit were killed in a strike in Kuwait on March 1. Additionally, a service member injured in an attack at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 1 succumbed to injuries a week later.
In a separate incident, six US service members aboard a KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft died in a crash in western Iraq on March 12. The US military clarified that the crash was not a result of hostile or friendly fire and is currently under investigation for further details.
