Tehran: The fate of an American pilot was not clear after Iran claimed to have shot down a second fighter jet on Friday.
Iranian news agency Tasnim reported, citing intelligence sources, that a pilot of US F-35 – some reports said it was an F-15E — might be in Iran’s custody after the fighter jet was allegedly brought down by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in southwestern Iran.
The pilot ejected and landed inside the country. While some reports said he may have been captured, Iran’s state-run and semi-official news outlets quoted officials to report that the pilot was unlikely to have survived.
The IRGC announced on Friday morning that a second US fighter F-35 fighter jet was completely destroyed in Iran’s skies by the new advanced defence system of the IRGC Aerospace Force. IRGC further said that the doomed fighter jet belongs to the Lakenheath squadron.
The US has not yet reacted to Iranian claims.
