A US F-35 stealth fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing at an American air base in the Middle East after being struck by suspected Iranian fire during a combat mission, according to US officials and media reports.

The incident was first reported by CNN, citing sources familiar with the matter, who said the fifth-generation aircraft was operating over Iran when it sustained damage.

Confirming the development, US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said the jet “landed safely” and the pilot was unharmed. He added that a formal investigation has been launched to determine the extent of the damage and the nature of the strike, CNN reported.

“This incident is under investigation,” Hawkins said, without providing further operational details.

The aircraft involved, the F-35 Lightning II, is among the most advanced and expensive fighter jets in the world, with a unit cost exceeding $100 million. Both the United States and Israel have been deploying the platform in ongoing operations against Iran.

If confirmed, the development would mark the first known instance of Iran successfully targeting a US aircraft since the conflict began in late February, potentially raising fresh concerns over the effectiveness of Tehran’s air defence systems.

The incident comes amid repeated claims by US officials of operational success in the campaign. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth recently said the United States was “winning decisively” and that Iran’s air defences had been largely neutralised.

However, damage to a frontline stealth aircraft has prompted new questions among defence analysts about the evolving dynamics of the air war and the resilience of Iranian defensive capabilities.

The episode is expected to intensify scrutiny of the conflict, as investigators work to establish whether Iran’s systems remain capable of posing a credible threat to advanced US military assets.

IRGC statement

The guards said in a statement: “The U.S. military’s F-35 strategic fighter jet was hit and seriously damaged in the central Iranian sky at 2:50 a.m. today by the IRGC’s advanced modern aerospace defence system. The fate of this fighter jet is unknown and is under investigation, and there is a high probability that it crashed.”