First in history: F-35 enters aerial combat with Russian fighter
Photo: F-35 engages in aerial combat with Russian-made fighter (Getty Images)
An American F-35 fighter jet has shot down a manned enemy aircraft for the first time in history. The target was a Russian-made Yak-130, according to the Israeli military.
“Iranian jet shot down: An IAF F-35I Adir fighter jet shot down an Iranian Air Force YAK-130 fighter jet,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
It is noted that this marks the first time in history that an F-35 fighter has shot down a piloted aircraft.
What is known about the Yak-130
The Yak-130 is a combat training aircraft developed by the Yakovlev Design Bureau in cooperation with the Italian company Alenia Aermacchi and with support from Motor Sich. It was designed to replace the L-39 trainer aircraft in the Russian Air Force.
The aircraft is used to train cadets at flight academies. It can be equipped with UPK-23-250 gun pods with 23 mm cannons and 250 rounds each. It is also capable of carrying Kh-31 guided air-to-surface missiles and guided and unguided bombs.
Photo: Russian Yak-130 aircraft (wikimedia.org)
Details about the F-35
The F-35 is a fifth-generation multirole fighter developed by the American company Lockheed Martin.
The F-35 carries a wide range of weapons, including AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-132 ASRAAM, and AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, as well as Storm Shadow and AGM-158 JASSM cruise missiles. It can also deploy JDAM precision-guided bombs weighing up to 2,000 pounds (910 kg), WCMD cluster munitions, AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapons, and Brimstone anti-tank missiles.
Earlier, reports said that a Kuwaiti fighter jet accidentally shot down three US F-15 aircraft during the military operation Epic Fury. All three American jets crashed, but their pilots ejected safely.
