AN F-35 fighter jet from the United States has made an emergency landing at an airbase in the Middle East after carrying out a combat mission over Iran, according to US military officials.
The aircraft landed safely on Thursday, and the pilot is in stable condition, said Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM).
“We are aware of reports that a US F-35 aircraft conducted an emergency landing at a regional US airbase 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 reported quoted two anonymous sources as saying that the plane, which cost up to $100m, was likely hit by Iran.
Separately, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has issued a statement saying it targeted a US aircraft. The US has yet to confirm why the F-35 was forced to make an emergency landing.
Since fighting began on February 28, the United States has reportedly lost approximately 12 MQ-9 Reaper drones.
Separately, US officials said five KC-135 refuelling aircraft were damaged in an Iranian missile strike at a base in Saudi Arabia, although the reports have not been independently verified.
Although F-35 stealth fighters have been deployed in combat operations since 2018, there have been no confirmed cases of one being struck by enemy fire.
On March 1, three US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were shot down in a friendly fire incident involving a Kuwaiti F/A-18. All six crew members ejected safely and were recovered.
In Iran, at least 1,444 people have been killed and 18,551 injured since the start of the conflict, according to local health authorities.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said his country’s objectives in the war against Iran have not changed since strikes started on February 28.
The US has carried out strikes against 7,000 targets inside Iran and has hit more than 40 Iranian mine-laying vessels and 11 submarines.
“Our objectives, given directly from our America First president, remain exactly what they were on day one,” Hegseth told reporters on Thursday.
He said the US goals continue to include destroying Iran’s missile launchers, degrading its defence industrial base and navy, and preventing it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Hegseth added that there was no set “timeframe” for ending the campaign.
When asked on Thursday whether he intended to put more troops in the region, US President Donald Trump said he was not putting troops “anywhere”, but that if he was going to, he would not tell journalists.
Earlier, General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the US military remained on track to achieve its objectives, and the US was striking deeper into Iranian territory every day.
But Caine acknowledged that Iran retained some missile capabilities. “They came into this fight with a lot of weapons,” Caine said.