US efforts to recover downed F-35 fighter pilot fail: Iranian media
Tehran, April 3 : Shortly after Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced Friday that a second US F-35 fighter jet has been destroyed in the skies of central Iran by the "new advanced defence system" of its Aerospace Force, country's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that that the US forces are conducting a search operation to recover the pilot who had ejected the fighter jet.
"Sources told Tasnim’s correspondent in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province in western Iran on Friday that US forces had been conducting a search operation since earlier today to recover the pilot of their fighter jet, which was shot down by Iran’s Armed Forces. The operation involved Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 Hercules aircraft; however, their efforts have so far been futile," the agency reported.
The report mentioned that, following the destruction of the advanced American fighter jet, the pilot had ejected and landed inside the country.
Earlier in the day, the IRGC announced that the doomed fighter jet belonged to the Lakenheath squadron.
The IRGC noted that the intruding fighter jet has been completely destroyed and has crashed.
Citing reports, Tasnim reported that the US pilot has been captured by Iranian military forces.
"The correspondent added that there are indications the Americans, believing the pilot might be alive, attempted to extract him from Iran’s borders. However, some sources say the pilot has likely been captured by Iranian forces," the report mentioned.
Last week, the IRGC had claimed that its air defence had struck a US F-16 Fighting Falcon and an MQ-9 Reaper drone in the country's southern airspace.
Making the announcement in a statement on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said the US fighter jet and drone were hit during joint retaliatory missile and drone operations by its Navy and Aerospace Division against heavy industries belonging to the United States and Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.
The development came amid heightened tensions following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran starting on February 28, to which Iran and its regional allies responded with attacks on Israeli and US interests across the Middle East.