CENTCOM spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins said the F-35 jet landed safely and the pilot was in stable condition.
A US F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at an air base in the Middle East after flying a combat mission over Iran, US military officials said.
The plane landed safely on Thursday and the pilot was in stable condition, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesman Col. Tim Hawkins said.
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“We are aware of reports that a U.S. F-35 aircraft made an emergency landing at a local U.S. Air Force base after flying a combat mission over Iran. The aircraft landed safely and the pilot is in stable condition. This incident is under investigation,” Hawkins said in a statement.
CNN, citing two anonymous sources, reported that the plane, which cost up to $100 million, was likely hit by Iran.
Separately, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement saying it targeted a US military aircraft. The US has not yet confirmed why the F-35 was forced to make an emergency landing.
The United States has reportedly lost about 12 MQ-9 Reaper drones since the fighting began on February 28.
Separately, U.S. officials said five KC-135 refueling planes were damaged in an Iranian missile attack on a Saudi base, but this report has not been independently verified.
F-35 stealth fighters have been deployed in combat operations since 2018, but there have been no confirmed instances of them being hit by enemy fire.
On March 1, three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle jets were shot down in a crossfire involving a Kuwaiti F/A-18. All six crew members escaped safely and were recovered.
At least 13 U.S. military personnel have been killed and approximately 200 injured in combat operations against Iran.
At least 1,444 people have been killed and 18,551 injured in Iran since the start of the civil war, according to local health authorities.
America’s war goals remain unchanged
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said his country’s goals in the war against Iran have remained unchanged since the attacks began on February 28.
The United States carried out strikes against 7,000 targets in Iran, hitting more than 40 Iranian minelayers and 11 submarines.
“Our goals, given directly to us by the president of America First, are exactly the same as they were on day one,” Hegseth told reporters Thursday.
He said U.S. goals continue to include destroying Iran’s missile launchers, degrading its defense industrial base and navy, and preventing it from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Hegseth added that there is no set “deadline” for ending the campaign.
Asked on Thursday whether he planned to send more troops to the region, US President Donald Trump said he had no intention of sending troops “anywhere,” but if he did, he wouldn’t tell journalists.
Earlier, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Cain said the US military was on track to achieve its goals and that the US was conducting strikes deep into Iranian territory every day.
But Mr. Kaine acknowledged that Iran retains some missile capability. “They came into this fight with a lot of weapons,” Cain said.
