Israel F-35I shoots down Iranian Yak-130 in historic combat first
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Israeli army said on Wednesday that one of its F-35I “Adir” stealth fighter jets shot down a Yak-130 belonging to the Iranian Air Force, marking the first time this advanced aircraft had shot down a manned fighter jet in combat.
“The historic attack in the skies of Tehran is a testament to the strength of the Israeli Air Force and your personal determination,” said Major General Tomer Bar, commander of the Israeli Air Force.
He said to the pilots, “The war continues; return home safely. Get some rest.” “The next mission is already waiting for you.”
The F-35I is Israel’s customized version of the US-built F-35 Lightning II, the fifth-generation stealth fighter jet anchoring the country’s air fleet.
An F-35I Adir multirole fighter jet of the Israeli Air Force flies over the Negev Desert after taking off from a military base for the Gaza Strip on October 14, 2023. (Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images)
Israel signed a letter of agreement in October 2010, becoming the first country to select the aircraft through the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales process, according to the F-35 program’s official website.
The site says that the Israeli Air Force named the jet “Adir”, which means “Strong” in Hebrew, and received its first F-35 on June 22, 2016.
The Yak-130 is a Russian-made, two-seat combat training aircraft designed by the Yakovlev Design Bureau, according to United Aircraft Corporation, the state-owned Russian aerospace company that produces the jet.
TRUMP ADMIN WARNED LAWS AHEAD OF MAJOR IRAN ATTACKS THAT ISRAEL ‘COMMITTED TO ACTING WITH OR WITHOUT US’
A Russian-built Yak-130 subsonic two-seat advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft maneuvers during a flight demonstration on day three of the Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire, England, on July 11, 2012. (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
It made its first flight in 1996 and currently continues active production.
According to Iran’s English-language state broadcaster Press TV, the Iranian air force received its first Yak-130 training aircraft in September 2023.
IRAN’S Drone Swarm ATTACKS PROVIDE US ‘EXPONENTIAL COSTS’, PROLONGING THE WAR: ‘ASIMMETRICAL CAPABILITY’
F-4 and F-14 jets from Iran and Russian MiG-29 aircraft performed a demonstration flight at the 9th International Iran AirShow held on Kish Island in Hormozgan, Iran, on November 27, 2018. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
In November 2023, Brig. Iran’s deputy defense minister, General Mehdi Farahi, told the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim that plans have been finalized for Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, Mil Mi-28 attack helicopters and Yak-130 trainers to join the country’s armed forces.
Tasnim reported that Iran had previously purchased MiG-29 fighter jets from Russia in the 1990s.
Related Article
