This is the first time an F-35 has shot down a manned fighter jet.
We will probably get more details throughout the day, but on Mar. 4, 2026, the Israeli Defense Forces announced on social media that an F-35I Adir jet belonging to the Israeli Air Force shot down an Iranian Yak-130 over Tehran.
מטוס אדיר (F35I) של חיל האוויר הישראלי הפיל לפני זמן קצר מטוס קרב איראני (YAK-130) מעל שמי טהרן.
זו הפלה הראשונה בעולם של מטוס קרב מאויש על ידי F-35
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 4, 2026
Here’s a translation of the text posted by the IDF on X:
“An Israeli Air Force Adir (F-35I) jet shot down an Iranian combat aircraft (YAK-130) over Tehran skies a short time ago.
This is the world’s first shootdown of a manned fighter jet by an F-35.”
Images of Yak-130 aircraft allegedly flying over Tehran were shared online on March 2, 2026, suggesting the IRIAF (Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force) was able to operate the type despite suffering constant and heavy hits by the Israeli and U.S. forces involved in the air campaign against Iran.
پرواز جنگندهها در آسمان #تهران
تصاویر دریافتی و پیامها درباره صدای پرواز جنگندهها، دوشنبه ۱۱ اسفند#Iran #Tehran pic.twitter.com/9oLkRkxe5u
— Vahid Online (@Vahid) March 2, 2026
The Yak 130 Mitten
The Yakovlev Yak-130 is a subsonic two-seat advanced trainer originally developed by Yakovlev and Aermacchi (now Leonardo).
Along with the advanced jet trainer role, the “Mitten” (Yak-130 NATO’s nickname), able to replicate the characteristics of Russian Gen. 4 and 4++ combat aircraft, is capable of fulfill Light Attack (LA) and Reconnaissance tasks and it can carry a payload of 3,000 kilograms, including guided and unguided weapons, external fuel tanks and electronic pods.
The LA version, dubbed YAK-131 and equipped with mechanical radar (Phazotron) or Passive Electronically Scanned Array (PESA), is planned to replace the Su-25 Frogfoot.The Russian Air Force has also developed a reconnaissance variant of the Mitten, dubbed Yak-133.
Externally, the Yak-130 bears a significant resemblance with Italian M-346 “Master”, produced by Leonardo Company and already operated by the ItAF (Italian Air force), IAF (Israeli Air Force), RSAF (Republic of Singapore Air Force), Polish Air Force, Hellenic Air Force, Turkmen Air Force and in the future Nigerian. However, the two aircraft are completely different, in terms of avionics, engine, with the Master being considered one of the world’s most advanced trainer, also thanks to a top notch ground based training system.
The first Yak-130 Mitten aircraft for the IRIAF were delivered in 2013, and operated at Iran’s 8th Tactical Air Force Base near Isfahan, ahead of the completion of the training of the first group of six Iranian Yak-130 instructor pilots in Russia.
In IRIAF service, the Yak-130’s primarily role is training pilots destined to the varied fleet of Soviet and U.S-made Cold War-era, including the F-14 Tomcats, F-4E Phantom IIs and F-5 Tigers.
According to reports emerged in October 2024, Russia had completed the delivery of 12 Yak-130 aircraft.
In a story posted last year, Tehran Times said that the Yak-130s are “a platform for training pilots on fourth-generation fighters while also providing limited combat support.” In 2025, during its first operational exercise, an Iranian Yak-130 coordinated with two MiG-29s to intercept and destroy a target drone with an R-73E SRAAM (Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile) air-to-air missile, highlighting a secondary combat role.
In a previous story about the type we posted here at The Aviationist, we explained that “while unlikely to be used against Israeli fighters like the F-35, F-15 or the F-16, the jet could become a force multiplier when used for area defense of military facilities or air bases attempting to intercept UAVs or cruise missiles.”
Indeed, it looks like the Yak-130 shot down on Mar. 4 over Tehran, was flying a counter-drone mission when it was shot down by the Israeli Air Force F-35I.
JUST MINUTES AGO, the Israeli Air Force shot down a Yak-130 advanced jet trainer of the Iranian Air Force using an F-35I Adir. The Yak-130 was flying over Tehran to intercept and shoot down Israeli Hermes-900 drones, but it was intercepted and destroyed by the Israeli Air Force.… pic.twitter.com/lxSrzRAxXx
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) March 4, 2026
This is a developing story. We will update it as more details emerge.
