ABNA24 - 35th day of the Israeli-American war on Iran was a hellish day for the aggressors. It was the day several American aircraft and helicopters were shot down by the Iranian air defenses.
In a significant escalation, Iranian forces have inflicted substantial damage on US air force assets during recent operations in the region. Reports from the "black US Air Force day" detail the downing and damage of multiple aircraft, suggesting a successful Iranian effort to degrade American air capabilities.
One F-15E Strike Eagle (fighter-bomber): Shot down, with one crew member reported missing and search efforts underway.
Two HH-60W Jolly Green II (combat rescue helicopters): Struck by Iranian fire.
One A-10 Warthog (close air support aircraft): Crashed in the Persian Gulf, though the pilot was reportedly rescued.
Another A-10 Warthog: Hit and forced to make an emergency landing with one engine inoperable.
One F-16 (multi-role fighter): Declared an emergency and landed over Iraq.
One KC-135 Stratotanker (aerial refueling aircraft): Declared an emergency and landed over Israel.
Furthermore, Iran asserts it targeted and downed an additional unspecified American jet near Qeshm Island.
Message to the US
Downing the fighter jets and damaging other US military assets in the Iranian sky carry a message to the American forces. Malcom Nans, a retired US Navy crew member said that downing an F-15 at high altitude is bad news. But downing A-10 Warthog is a worse sign.
"This aircraft is our toughest low-altitude assault plane. If an Iranian shoulder-fired missile hit it, then our regular helicopters and the Marine Corps tiltrotors, if we want to assault the islands in the Strait of Hormuz, would be at very high risk,” he said.
Washington’s defense weakness under focus
The downing of several American fighter jets by Iran amid incursions into Iranian territory has sounded an alarm regarding US military capabilities, with military analysts emphasizing that these developments expose “weakness in the US defensive capacity.” According to the Asia News Channel (ANC) website, following reports of an American F-15E fighter jet being shot down over Iran and an A-10 crashing near the Strait of Hormuz, sources report that Washington has initiated search and rescue operations. Analysts contend this event has unveiled “weakness in the US defensive capacity.”
The American outlet further reported that with confirmation of the F-15 incident, “this would be the first instance of an American fighter jet being shot down” during the conflict with Iran since the commencement of US Central Command (CENTCOM) operations on February 28.
Fu Qianxiao, a military analyst, further asserted that the US war against Iran “has also revealed a significant vulnerability, which is the weakness in [US] defensive capacity.”
“US bases across the Middle East have effectively all come under attack, and the country’s aircraft carrier has been forced to withdraw to a distance of a thousand kilometers.” He added. According to this former Chinese Air Force officer, this situation indicates that “US defensive capacity remains insufficient.”
Iran maintains military capabilities despite Trump's allegations of decimating them
Iran’s targeting of American fighter jets and military equipment has effectively refuted previous claims by Donald Trump regarding the neutralization of Iran’s defense systems. In this context, The New York Times, in an article, cited the downing of an advanced American fighter jet and the targeting of rescue helicopters as contradicting claims made by Donald Trump about the complete destruction of Iran’s military capabilities, acknowledging that Tehran has maintained its offensive capacities.
Part of The New York Times’ report states that despite Trump’s assertions about the destruction of Iran’s military capabilities and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s remarks concerning complete air dominance, the news of an F-15 Air Force fighter jet being shot down by Iran on Friday demonstrated that Tehran has retained its ability for counter-attack.
In fact, 48 hours after Trump claimed the US military decimated Iran's military, Tehran struck down an F-15E. As a result, the US launched a rescue operation to save two of the pilots that ejected over Iran. But Iran struck two helicopters and two aircraft launching an operation to rescue the pilots.
According to the New York Times, Iran has displayed its defense capabilities over the past weeks of war as it has continued its missile and drone strikes on the American bases in Persian Gulf Arab states and also Israeli regime and destroyed American aircraft in Saudi Arabia, leading to injury of 24 service members.
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