Israel says fighter jet took down Iranian warplane, the first shootdown of its kind

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Israel’s military said Wednesday that one of its F-35I “Adir” stealth fighter jets shot down an Iranian Air Force Yak-130, marking the first time the advanced aircraft has downed a manned fighter in combat.

“The historic shootdown over the Tehran skies is a testament to the strength of theIsraeli Air Forceand to your personal determination,” said Maj.Gen.Tomer Bar, the commander of the Israeli air force.

“The war continues – return home safely.Get some rest,” he toldthe pilots.“The next mission is already waiting for you.”

The F-35I is Israel’s customized version of the U.S.-made F-35 Lightning II, a fifth-generation stealth fighter that anchors the country’s air fleet.

Israeli F-35I Adir fighter jet in flight during a combat operation over southern Israel.

An Israeli air force F-35I Adir multirole fighter aircraft flies over the Negev Desert after taking off from a military base en route to the Gaza Strip on Oct.14, 2023.(Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images)

According to the F-35 program’s official website, Israel became the first country to select the aircraft through the U.S.government’s Foreign Military Sales process, signing a letter of agreement in October 2010.

The site says the Israeli air force gave the jet the Hebrew name “Adir,” meaning “Mighty One,” 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 manufactures the jet.

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A Yak-130 jet performs aerial maneuvers during an airshow demonstration in southern England.

A Russian-made Yak-130 subsonic two-seat advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft maneuvers during a flying display on the third day of the Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire, England, on July 11, 2012.(Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

It made itsmaiden flightin 1996 and is currently in active production.

Iran’s air force received its first Yak-130 training aircraft in September 2023, according to Press TV, Iran’s state-run English-language broadcaster.

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Two military jets and additional aircraft bank in tight formation during a demonstration flight over Kish Island.

F-4 and F-14 jets from Iran and Russian MiG-29 aircraft perform a demonstration flight at the 9th International Iran AirShow on Kish Island, Hormozgan, Iran, on Nov.27, 2018.(Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

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In November 2023, Brig.Gen.Mahdi Farahi, Iran’s deputy defense minister, told Tasnim, a semi-official Iranian news agency, that plans had 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 previously acquired MiG-29 fighter jets from Russia in the 1990s.