Illustrative image. (U.S. Central Command)
Iranian air defenses engaged a United States F-35 Lightning II on July 31 and forced the stealth fighter to abandon its mission and leave Iranian airspace, Iran’s Press TV reported on September 14, describing an encounter that highlights the growing challenge posed by Tehran’s rebuilt air-defense network.
The engagement occurred during the same operation in which Iranian forces shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper, according to the report.
The broadcaster said the F-35 encounter was particularly significant because the aircraft is designed to penetrate sophisticated air defenses through its low-observable design, sensor fusion and electronic warfare capabilities.
Iranian media said its air defenses obtained a lock on the F-35 during the engagement. Such a lock indicates that the system had established a sufficiently precise track to support an attack, rather than merely detecting the aircraft.
The report comes amid growing U.S. concern over Iran’s efforts to rebuild its air-defense capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz.
Axios had reported on August 31, citing U.S. officials, that U.S. Central Command was concerned Iran was restoring radar, air defense and anti-ship missile systems that could improve its ability to target American ships in the strait.
The news website said the concern was reinforced by an incident in which an Iranian anti-aircraft missile was fired at a U.S. F-35 provides cover for American ships.
The July engagement also follows a separate F-35 incident in March that was confirmed by U.S. officials. An American F-35 conducting a combat mission over Iran was damaged and made an emergency landing. Iran said its air defenses had struck the aircraft.
The way Iran tracked the July aircraft remains unclear. Press TV said Iranian defenses can combine radar with passive infrared sensors, which detect heat from an aircraft’s engines, exhaust and airframe without transmitting radar energy. That provides an alternative means of locating aircraft whose radar signatures have been reduced.
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