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Questions & Help Mar 19, 2026 at 7:27 PM

F-35 that conducted emergency landing believed to have been struck by Iranian fire

Posted by avatar6556

https://abcnews.com/International/live-updates/iran-live-updates?id=131108492&entryId=131228816&cid=social_twitter_abcn
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thewaybaseballgo Mar 19, 2026 +762
First time a US F35 has ever been struck by enemy fire, btw.
762
StillAll Mar 19, 2026 +147
Has any nations F35s been hit yet? Aside from this one?
147
_ryuujin_ Mar 19, 2026 +222
fortunately there hasnt been enough wars. especially ones where both sides have modernish tech. and armaments
222
ilic_mls Mar 20, 2026 +39
In 1999, the F -117 was downed in Serbia. The military had an older radar that was able to locate it sporadicaly. And the man operating the radar noticed they fly via the same route/coridor, at the same speed, everything. So when he was able to first notice the plane, he could calculate where it would be. So they sory of tracked the plane and launched a rocket to where it should be and downed it. What i am saying is, when you are in a futuristic bit of kit, you relax. Sometimes too much. And then someone with a stone and a club can win against someone with a machine gun.
39
madhi19 Mar 20, 2026 +6
By that point it was also 30some years old design.
6
ilic_mls Mar 20, 2026 +3
So? No one shot it down before. Same for the f35
3
madhi19 Mar 20, 2026 +4
The whole concept is over 50 years old. As soon as it was well known that the US had developed planes designed to not send much radar return the race to develop counter measure was on. It's a great tech when you bomb people with radar tech from the 60s...
4
Reg_Broccoli_III Mar 19, 2026 +244
Which underscores the point of how insanely reckless this war is.   We're wasting cutting edge assets and exposing their capabilities.  For ...oil?  For ...Israel?  For ...Epstein?
244
KingZarkon Mar 19, 2026 +75
Well people aren't talking about the Trump-Epstein files much right now so it seems to be working.
75
gravescd Mar 20, 2026 +58
We need to start referring to this conflict as the Epstein Wars
58
paecmaker Mar 20, 2026 +4
This is operation Epstein Furry
4
Korchagin Mar 20, 2026 +4
Bury, not Furry.
4
JonnyOnThePot420 Mar 20, 2026 +3
Iran from the files!
3
Xivvx Mar 20, 2026 +4
Operation Epstein Shield.
4
KingZarkon Mar 20, 2026 +9
Agreed. And we need to all refer to the files as the Trump-Epstein files every time.
9
JonnyOnThePot420 Mar 20, 2026 +2
That why Europe is calling Trump the island president.
2
WhitePawn00 Mar 20, 2026 +2
While official news sites aren't talking about the epstine info (unless there's breaking news) the people very much are talking about it. Specially in relation to this war. In many online communities I've seen the epstine files brought up as reason for the war because of how utterly senseless and unreasonable it is. In reality I think suppressing the epstine news may have been a nice bonus but the real reason is that the puppet in charge of the US was quite easily manipulated by the two factions of Israel and religious extremists into entering a war that is difficult to get out of. Israel wants to destroy Iran because Iran's gov is behind most of the bombs and rockets that fall on them, but also because it's Israel. The Christian extremists want to go on their holy war or something. The extremists are in positions of power in like 1/3 of the US gov, and another 1/3 (minimum) is owned by AIPAC, and the "go button" of the whole thing is in the form of a deluded dementia suffering puppet who is so easy to manipulate that you can predict his behavior based on who last talked to him. I don't think this war is about the epstine files. I think this war happened because powerful factions realized the US military is a tool beholden not to its nation but to trump. And the only thing you need to use it is the ability to convince trump, which is evidently *a lot* easier than most of them expected probably.
2
Charlie_Mouse Mar 20, 2026 +2
The trouble is from Trumps perspective (and those with his ear) this war hits a whole bunch of different birds with one stone. It works as an Epstein distraction. It was what they at least believed was going to be another “short victorious war” they could chest pound about in advance if the midterms. It got oil prices up through the roof which makes a lot of Trumps backers very happy and Putin too. (Speaking of which it also helps Putin by distracting from Ukraine and potentially drawing off European military strength). It distracts from the humanitarian crisis that is starting to hit its stride in Cuba. It keeps Israel (or at least Netanyahu) sweet. Killing middle easterners is raw meat to the MAGA base, particularly a bunch of Evangelical fundamentalists who really want to kick off an apocalypse and the second coming … which would sound really tinfoil hat … if it wasn’t literally written all over the Secretary of ~~Defence~~ War. And it’s also providing additional cover for Trump to attack Americas NATO membership. It’s a floor wax *and* a desert topping. Which makes it difficult to discern exactly which reason or combination of reasons were actually the main motivation and how many are simply “happy little accidents” that they’ll cheerfully take advantage of in passing. None of it good though.
2
DerWetzler Mar 20, 2026 +2
There is daily new articles and videos on YouTube of people digging deeper, Epstein files are not going away
2
No-Photograph-5058 Mar 20, 2026 +6
For money. It's not 'just a distraction' from the Epstein files anymore
6
shamalyguy Mar 20, 2026 +5
I don't think it's money either. Literally everyone in the world is going to be losing money because the world economy is dipping into recession.
5
pandawelch Mar 20, 2026 +3
Except those getting the insider information. Remember the tariff yoyos?
3
ImmiLitigation Mar 20, 2026 +2
Thank jeebus for Trump and his war. Otherwise we wouldn’t know our weapon system vulnerability
2
MoreGaghPlease Mar 19, 2026 +8
Maybe Israel in 2018, it’s not clear
8
_IronClaw_ Mar 20, 2026 +32
Not just that, first time an airplane was struck by air defenses that were already destroyed! /s
32
PastryFishHQ Mar 19, 2026 +31
I thought this thing was invisible?
31
Norse_By_North_West Mar 19, 2026 +88
To radar, not to optical or infrared.
88
nameduser365 Mar 20, 2026 +24
It's a reference to when Trump said they were invisible because of course he said that. "(The F-35 is) the greatest fighter jet in the world, as you know, by far. Stealth. Totally stealth. You can’t see it. Makes it very difficult." And yeah, there's other examples
24
The_Corvair Mar 20, 2026 +3
> Trump said they were invisible because of course he said that. I wonder how so many people still have not caught on that Trump is an idiot¹. I do not mean in the pejorative - I mean in the actual sense of "his mental and cognitive capabilities are several levels below average; He can neither fully understand, nor partake in, an actual adult conversation". More than a few people that were around him even pointed out that he doesn't read, and the question is if he can't, or won't. But it is known that he *don't*, and that people have to plan how to get important info to him in other ways. --- ¹It's Fox, OANN, Newsmax etc. just painting that turd golden, isn't it?
3
nameduser365 Mar 20, 2026 +2
Don't forget he had a college professor who said he was literally the dumbest student the guy ever taught
2
Stuffstuff1 Mar 20, 2026 +17
Only if far away enough. If the control surfaces aren't deflected. if its been maintained properly. And only from certain angles and certain frequencies. With proper mission planning this thing can be invisible. otherwise no.
17
Spa7man Mar 19, 2026 +27
There's no such thing as an invisible aircraft, except for the UFOs we're flying out of Area 51!
27
Immediate-Spite-5905 Mar 19, 2026 +4
last i checked the SR-71 was just too fast to intercept and the F-117 did get detected and downed
4
Ok_Recording81 Mar 20, 2026 +2
Stealth makes it hard to detect, but not invisible.
2
Beautiful-Suspect448 Mar 19, 2026 +708
They said the pilot is in "stable condition", I don't know military lingo but that sounds like the pilot got injured to some extent
708
jagdpanzer45 Mar 19, 2026 +338
Yeah, stable condition means injured but not getting worse (for now). If the pilot was uninjured they would have said that.
338
LuizFelipe1906 Mar 20, 2026 +12
How do you get injured inside an aircraft like that?
12
SalamanderGlad9053 Mar 20, 2026 +15
These aircraft aren't particularly shrapnel-proof, it would be far too heavy if it was. A big missile detonates near your plane and sends shrapnel into your plane, the plane produces more shrapnel when hit into your cockpit. The A-10 Warthog has 540kg of titanium armour to protect it, that turns it into a very heavy and unmaenuvrable plane. It's generally not worth it unless you're going very close to the ground attacking ground targets with guns to be overly armoured.
15
LPSD_FTW Mar 19, 2026 +164
To add onto what the other comment said - they would say it's minor injuries had it been that way, using "stable condition" might mean that things are pretty bad with the pilot. And to the others, talking about how expensive that kind of loss is for US - yes, it is a historical moment for combat aviation nerds as F35 got hit, however losing a couple of jets is really not the end of the world, they have been losing a couple per year during transportation and training
164
TOMC_throwaway000000 Mar 20, 2026 +133
Losing a few isn’t the end of the world but the fact that Iran was capable of doing it is a pretty big deal for the US
133
Stuffstuff1 Mar 20, 2026 +38
No not really. F-22 and F-35s aren't magic. No one who knows is going to be surprised.. The military never claimed to have air dominance only air supremacy. And although its not guarantee the fact that it was a f-35 not a f-15 suggests that they knew it might get hairy
38
zjin2020 Mar 20, 2026 +56
After 19 days of destroying Iran ad and thousands of bombing? I am surprised that any of US airplane got hit. Let alone f35
56
accersitus42 Mar 20, 2026 +8
Iran has spent decades decentralising in preparation for this conflict. Trying to force a surrender through bombing is probably going to take a while.
8
Stuffstuff1 Mar 20, 2026 +32
i think during the seal clubbing that was the gulf war we lost 50 aircraft in a month or something. So i mean idk..
32
kungpowgoat Mar 20, 2026 +25
From what I remember the majority of aircraft lost during Operation Desert Storm were due to friendly fire.
25
welcome_to_urf Mar 20, 2026 +36
So far that's still the case...
36
Zogstrukka Mar 20, 2026 +37
Thats not really that long. Iran's Air Defense network is huge, deeply buried, and hardened. Stealth and low observability do not mean invincible. The fact that the pilot landed the aircraft is testament to the quality of the vehicle. My guess is that the aircraft was hit by optically tracked AAA or was at the very edge of the PKI envelope of a SAM.
37
Normal-Rope6198 Mar 20, 2026 +10
They could have got a radar lock somehow when it opened its doors too just like the f117 in Yugoslavia in the 90’s, kind of a fluke kind of not type of thing.
10
TbonerT Mar 20, 2026 +13
They only managed that because the Air Force was flying the same route at the same time consistently, so they knew where and when to look. It was not a fluke.
13
Normal-Rope6198 Mar 20, 2026 +11
People just don’t really know how radar or stealth planes work or really anything about how alot of technology does either and that’s understandable but it leads to a lot of weird speculation.
11
Tandittor Mar 20, 2026 +4
>The military never claimed to have air dominance only air supremacy. You don't understand what you're writing. Air supremacy is the highest level of air control. The other two are air superiority (also called air dominance in NATO doctrine) and air parity. There is also local air superiority, where air superiority is achieved at a localized scale.
4
No_Discipline_7380 Mar 20, 2026 +4
>air dominance only air supremacy. They mean the same thing, both linguistically and militarily. "Air supremacy is the highest level, where a side holds complete control of the skies. It is defined by NATO and the United States Department of Defense as the "degree of air superiority wherein the opposing air force is incapable of effective interference"."
4
Ok-disaster2022 Mar 19, 2026 +290
On the one hand it was hit, on the other it managed to make an emergency landing. 
290
lt__ Mar 19, 2026 +65
Something doesn't add up. How did it return a presumably a thousand km from Iran after being hit? If it was hit not over Iran, how is it that Iranians have their air defence deployed there?
65
whynotjoin Mar 19, 2026 +45
I mean, there could be plenty of reasons- including where the missile exploded in relation to the aircraft, if the pilot attempted a last minute countermeasure or evasion, etc- and there is always sheer dumb luck
45
NotAnAce69 Mar 19, 2026 +33
Missiles aren’t always guaranteed to kill, depending on the type of missile, how close it detonated and where the shrapnel hit. Although they’re admittedly built to a slightly sturdier standard than the F-35, we’ve seen Su-25s eat MANPADs without major issues over Ukraine and historically planes have made it home with far more grevious wounds (like the F-15 that managed to land while missing an entire wing).
33
Crazed_Chemist Mar 19, 2026 +118
Missile detonated short, plane hit with shrapnel
118
suburbanoutrage Mar 19, 2026 +78
Most missile kills are not direct strikes. Air to Air or ground to air missiles are set to detonate either by proximity or by impact.
78
Upstairs-Inspection3 Mar 19, 2026 +17
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AN/ALE-50_towed_decoy_system#:~:text=The%20AN%2FALE%2D50%20towed,%2Dair%20radar%2Dguided%20missiles. lightning tows a more advanced version called an ale-70, it’d make sense if it went for the decoy and only did minor damage relative to what it wouldve done without it
17
suburbanoutrage Mar 19, 2026 +10
Fun fact the tow length of the cable is classified
10
Upstairs-Inspection3 Mar 20, 2026 +5
i know for a fact its longer than 1
5
Wonderful-Process792 Mar 20, 2026 +6
It's the same length as a piece of string.
6
KeefyReef115 Mar 19, 2026 +11
Unless it’s the patriot system that aims for the cockpit. If you make it out of that gods got his hands on your shoulder
11
BooksandBiceps Mar 19, 2026 +13
I’m gonna need a source for that one chief. Really cool if true though.
13
Immediate-Spite-5905 Mar 19, 2026 +3
if we're thinking of the same guy then it's a patriot air defender on youtube, habitual linecrosser is the channel name
3
Anguis1908 Mar 20, 2026 +4
The F35 was deemed a suitable replacement for the A10. Maybe it has a protective tub in the cockpit as well.
4
stonale Mar 19, 2026 +7
Its not thousands of kilometers though,they landed in GCC.
7
Comprehensive_Rice27 Mar 20, 2026 +4
[a f15 has landed with one wing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxJcEz3h4tU), these jets are prob alot more durable then people think, most of the info on these jets are classified
4
lt__ Mar 20, 2026 +2
I mean I don't doubt it's possible, but then it's not such big news. Hit, but effect of that hit was kind of limited, is it really worth such attention? Pilot likely at most lightly hurt (if he was able to take plane back and land), and jet in good enough shape to return and land.
2
berlin_got_blurry Mar 19, 2026 +5
The Pentagon cover up on this whole thing is nuts. Warships with laundry fires and planes falling out of the sky
5
Pave_Low Mar 19, 2026 +68
It appears to have hit the F-35's 'Little Buddy'. AKA, the F-35's AN/ALE-70 fiber-optic towed decoy system.
68
Bird_ee Mar 19, 2026 +63
Where are you getting that information? The video released hit the F-35 right in the fuselage. The tow decoy would have been way behind it.
63
Stevesd123 Mar 20, 2026 +10
https://preview.redd.it/pdtrhrgyl2qg1.png?width=533&auto=webp&s=19ac5afef517dfdb37ea8cb04b71b3e620ecbeef&app_web_view=android See that small streak between the missile and the F-35? Allegedly that's the countermeasure system in action. Looks like some sort of APS system like tanks have.
10
jdmillar86 Mar 20, 2026 +6
Looking at a single frame its hard to conclude anything. But I think that streak *is* the missile. The larger part behind it is the exhaust plume. The larger part looks ~ the same order of magnitude length as the f-35. Seems large for a missile. The missiles of the s-300 system, which are fairly large, are somewhere around half the length of an F-35.
6
11sparky11 Mar 20, 2026 +3
The AN/ALE-70 is a towed EW suite. Not an APS in a kinetic sense.
3
Gnomish8 Mar 20, 2026 +3
> See that small streak between the missile and the F-35? Allegedly that's the countermeasure system in action. Looks like some sort of APS system like tanks have. That looks more like the missile body with the missile engine still being engaged. Big, hot, non-uniform signature being the engine & exhaust plume, thin, uniform, straight bit being the actual missile body.
3
Raise-Emotional Mar 20, 2026 +5
I also think some sort of countermeasures caused this to be a deflecting blow and they were able to land. Something that caused it to detonate early perhaps? What those countermeasures are? We will likely not know until we know. Ya know?
5
NlghtmanCometh Mar 20, 2026 +16
Nice so is this AN/AL system effective or?
16
hanginglimbs Mar 20, 2026 +38
My gf swears by it
38
obeytheturtles Mar 20, 2026 +2
Can't have a baby in the butt
2
hanginglimbs Mar 20, 2026 +3
Then why does my gf keep making appointments with my proctologist?
3
RHINO_Mk_II Mar 20, 2026 +7
Loosely, but wholly? No.
7
ArcticWolf_Primaris Mar 19, 2026 +3
Wait, they get a towed decoy? Nice
3
obeytheturtles Mar 20, 2026 +3
I hate it when my a*** decoy takes damage
3
hastobeapoint Mar 20, 2026 +3
There will be a film soon enough where our hero will be shown piloting hard, solving the world, leaving enemies with mouthfuls of dust and then landing into loving embrace of a pretty wife
3
SuggestionMedical736 Mar 19, 2026 +784
if you go to r/CombatFootage you can actually see footage of it being hit. At least I think you can, with this new world of AI and propaganda, you can never be sure.
784
pixeltackle Mar 19, 2026 +247
Not seeing any signs this video is AI but it is good to be cautious
247
Ver_Void Mar 19, 2026 +157
Not AI but are we sure it's not ARMA again?
157
rblu42 Mar 19, 2026 +65
It didn't look like a video game explosion but the immediate cut afterwards is odd.
65
Nerezza_Floof_Seeker Mar 19, 2026 +72
That was probably done to hide the fact that it continued flying afterwards. (Assuming it was real)
72
Strange-Movie Mar 19, 2026 +13
It could also just be an automated system that records the launch-track-impact of all its munitions and this is just all we get of the assumed f35 intercept from that system; I’m thinking along the lines of the “gun cameras” of ww2 fighters that automatically recorded when the trigger was pulled and often a few seconds after
13
Fireudne Mar 19, 2026 +37
I suspect the cutoff was to hide the fact the plane was still flying - hard to make a claim you shot down a jet when it's well, still flying. Still, my guess is probably an IR missile or something, and for whatever reason countermeasures weren't used. Maybe optical-guidance since that doesn't really emit anything detectable (same way the f117 was shot down) but the f35 should have detected the incoming missile based on the missile's rocket motor sig and triggered... *something* like evasive manuvers or flares or whatever. Either way the pilot should be counting his lucky stars he made it back.
37
KingZarkon Mar 19, 2026 +5
If it was a manpad, the plane would be close enough that you'd have almost no reaction time. Even if the alarm sounded, the pilot might not have had enough time to react. The full afterburner suggests he might have been trying to climb out quickly. The question is why was he flying that low to start with? It's mean for high-altitude attacks, it's not an A-10.
5
Anguis1908 Mar 20, 2026 +3
It passed all the test to be the A10s replacement. They could've been trying that out under actual combat conditions. https://www.twz.com/a-10-vs-f-35-close-air-support-flyoff-report-finally-emerges
3
WetTrumpet Mar 20, 2026 +3
Me when the jet whose only reedeming quality is to be c**** gets replaced with one of the most expensive aircraft ever made.
3
SillyBanana123 Mar 19, 2026 +2
I think the decider of its real or not is what was posted first. Whenever CENTCOM announces a plan went down, the Iranians make a bunch of AI fakes. As far as I can tell, this one is real
2
amoeba_from_venus Mar 19, 2026 +5
As a statistician working with Auto Regressive Moving Average models, I'm hella confused.
5
SuggestionMedical736 Mar 19, 2026 +16
Same, but like you said, better to be cautious.
16
Upstairs-Inspection3 Mar 19, 2026 +12
it doesnt really look like any modern targeting system, and the explosion didnt have any fragmentation you typically see on thermal c*** weird, but time will tell
12
pixeltackle Mar 19, 2026 +4
This I agree with, as well as the shading/shadow around the white hot shapes appearing extremely uniform.
4
TheWholeJhonny Mar 19, 2026 +3
What do we do when there’s nothing to distinguish?
3
pixeltackle Mar 19, 2026 +2
Unless you have a time machine, I'd worry about the issues that exist currently
2
Kempes2023 Mar 19, 2026 +60
That sub is trash. Any critique of U.S. military is "Iranian propaganda".
60
Skyremmer102 Mar 20, 2026 +18
And of the Israelis. They were taking down any footage uploaded of Israeli troops getting smoked too, of which there was quite a lot.
18
Clear_Consequence647 Mar 19, 2026 +28
Confirmed by numerous sources. It’s real and it’s a terrible look. 
28
elinamebro Mar 19, 2026 +20
Yeah but it was a proximity delayed fused sam that hit the jet with shrapnel. From what I seen so far the fighter was flying low enough to get tracked with IR. Looks like a lot of mistakes made.
20
Lirael_Gold Mar 19, 2026 +18
Given the sheer number of ops happening right now, slip ups are to be expected. (like the tanker collision, Kuwait shooting down 3 friendly F15s etc) Stealth is not invisiblity, it's *low observable*, there are ways to deal with it and I assume Iran has spent a bit of time studying those methods. Look at the famous F117 shootdown over Serbia, as an example of creative thinking on the part of the AD units. (It's also possible that this is some Chinese system being tested, they've been doing tech/arms exchanges for a while now)
18
elinamebro Mar 19, 2026 +5
To pig back on what you said, Chinese system or not any stealth fighter can possibly be tracked on IR when flying low. But the Chinese already have plans on the f-22 and the f-35 so its a possibility they might have counter measures.
5
Lirael_Gold Mar 19, 2026 +7
We will probably not find out what actually happened for at least 30 years, but I don't think there's any kind of secret sauce that China would have gleaned from "stolen" F-35 or F-22 plans, they're perfectly capable of building their own stealth fighters at this point. The fundamentals of RAM coating are not particularly hard to figure out, how to actually make/apply it is an applied sciences/mettalurgical issue, that bit is classified.
7
elinamebro Mar 19, 2026 +2
We know they have them already, we charged the guy that stole the plan, blueprints and data for both jets. It was like 630,000 files. Also they allegedly used that data for the J-20 but we can't confirm that yet. And they are perfectly capable of building their own stealth jets but by stealing our tech they cut down on their development time closing the gap.
2
ParisGreenGretsch Mar 19, 2026 +15
>if you go to r/CombatFootage you can actually see footage of it being hit. At least I think you can, with this new world of AI and propaganda, you can never be sure. I've been called a bot so many times I'm honestly starting to wonder if I am. Holy shit, did I just become self aware? Now you're all fucked.
15
kumquatkilla1 Mar 19, 2026 +47
Yup it’s real. Edit: why am I getting downvoted for just pointing out that it’s real? Lmao Edit 2: okay centcom confirmed an F35 was likely hit by Iranian fire but didn’t confirm the authenticity of this video. So not confirmed that the video is real, I apologize.
47
Trifle_Useful Mar 19, 2026 +41
>Video evidence of the hit >Major news stations reporting it’s true >No convincing evidence it’s fake or untrue “No way this could be real, America could never have a super-advanced stealth plane shot down. F-117sayswhat?” People are just dumb.
41
sags95 Mar 19, 2026 +11
Because it was not shot down
11
CMDR_omnicognate Mar 19, 2026 +2
If that managed to make it back to the airfield that's insanely durable
2
BigJellyfish1906 Mar 19, 2026 +5
I can’t believe it kept flying. That’s some solid engineering from Lockheed. F*** Trump for putting this pilot’s ass on the line for this to be demonstrated though.
5
Heavy_Possible_1517 Mar 19, 2026 +143
And the Gerald Ford has sewage issues, fire damage and a crew on an extended 11 month tour
143
i_am_voldemort Mar 19, 2026 +53
Ford also has potable water issues. It's a mess.
53
OSI_Hunter_Gathers Mar 20, 2026 +6
It’s the first of its kind so it’s kind of a prototype.
6
Public_Enemy_No2 Mar 20, 2026 +7
11 month cruise? Gawd Damn, those boys have got to be miserable.
7
Barrzah Mar 20, 2026 +5
That’s why they started a fire in the laundry room lmao
5
Roentgen_Ray1895 Mar 20, 2026 +2
Why do you think they’ve resorted to flushing t-shirts down the shitter for entertainment?
2
Noodleholz Mar 20, 2026 +5
This whole war thing does not seem to be based on any kind of strategy.  This makes W. Bush look like a genius with the invasion of Iraq because he actually brought all the toys, rolling in with five carrier strike groups. 
5
CapitanianExtinction Mar 20, 2026 +27
But wait, didn't we eliminate 100% of their defenses?
27
FJWagg Mar 20, 2026 +12
Exactly, our president told us Iran had no military left.
12
hukep Mar 19, 2026 +108
It was bound to happen sooner or later. When you bomb day and night, the adversary is no longer caught by surprise, and can mount some defensive response.
108
yawara25 Mar 19, 2026 +214
A good way to prevent being struck by Iranian fire is to not start a war with Iran. *The more you know*
214
SwissChzMcGeez Mar 19, 2026 +54
But we need to achieve our clear objective of ______ and we started the war because of ______ and even though the Commander on Chief says we won it already we still need more taxpayer dollars to ______.
54
Mobile-Bar7732 Mar 19, 2026 +6
But I thought _____ was obliterated and the ~~war~~ special operation was 100% done. Also the DOW is not 50,000.
6
bavindicator Mar 19, 2026 +2
Ooh fun! MadLibs.
2
exophades Mar 19, 2026 +282
The iranians aren't stupid, they'll keep refining their air defences and eventually start to score points. It's almost like Donnie celebrated the war's end prematurely.
282
AV15 Mar 19, 2026 +239
We won like 3 times already but we need $200 billion to keep fighting 
239
RudySpanish Mar 19, 2026 +31
For now they’ll come back next month asking for more or they’ll write it into the bill
31
xynith116 Mar 19, 2026 +23
“We’ve won the war, but think about all the after-war.”
23
Malaix Mar 19, 2026 +6
Trump like's winning so much he's going for most declarations of victory in a single war.
6
rubywpnmaster Mar 19, 2026 +5
As a millennial I look forward to Gen Z and Gen Alpha having their first forever war.
5
Life-Aid-4626 Mar 19, 2026 +16
"Mission Accomplished"
16
anormalname63 Mar 19, 2026 +46
And China has deployed special radar units to the area to watch. They got a naval ship near by with very advanced long distance sensors recording what's going on.
46
EngineerDave Mar 19, 2026 +18
It's an IR weapon. Very few countermeasures work against IR. F-35 has some, but it has to activate it and when they do it's only active for a period of time until the fuel becomes heat soaked.
18
Dexterus Mar 19, 2026 +13
The Chinese ship is not to fight US, it's to watch, everything.
13
RutabagaFree4065 Mar 19, 2026 +2
We got stupid lucky the Chinese radars did t work on day 1. 
2
ReaditTrashPanda Mar 19, 2026 +7
I would like to better understand a giving countries warfare abilities. Like compare Ukraine with Iran. How do they compare against Scotland or the Philippines etc. Some of these will have nearly no military while others are significant.
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Saltire_Blue Mar 19, 2026 +8
Scotland has the midges
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StardiveSoftworks Mar 19, 2026 +9
All of this information is public for western states. Practically speaking, NATO stands above all others both in terms of numbers and technology, and then the US is in a massive lead at the top of NATO, practically as strong if not stronger than the rest of the organization combined. No non-western state really comes close aside from China, Japan, South Korea and Israel. Iran is basically a fortress , similiar in shape to North Korea but without the nuclear umbrella or geography that makes that state so impregnable (even pre-nukes, it was impossible to attack NK without them immediately bombarding Seoul). It's reliant on generally outdated equipment, an ideologically guided (rather than pure western-style professional) military and has massively overinvested into asymmetric tools like terrorist proxies and ballistic missiles in order to meaningfully threaten retaliation against much more militarily capable states. As you saw from the beginning of the war, their conventional military is (was) broadly worthless and heavily underinvested, while all the shiny toys (like ballistic missiles) go to the Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has been running this entire missile campaign on its own (as evidenced by it rebuking the president when he promised to stop missile strikes on uninvolved arab states). It's basically the nation-state equivalent to a glass cannon. Economically, Iran in PPP adjusted terms would be a bit weaker than the state of Florida alone, which should give you a feel for what you can expect out of them.
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ResplendentSmoke Mar 19, 2026 +8
Their conventional military will not be worthless if the US tries to do a ground invasion. They will be setting ambushes in the mountains.
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ReaditTrashPanda Mar 19, 2026 +6
Hmmm, this is one take. Not sure that it makes sense to compare Iran to Florida from a military perspective. A state has essentially none… Florida owns no missiles, and is like 1/30th the size of Iran… Florida, can’t defend against anything innately. They would use eastern seaboard navy etc… My question related to other countries and their military. If Iran is glass cannon, then they aren’t actual threat and no help should be needed? They are actual threat, so Trump asked for help… I’m trying to better understand capacity and i suppose lethality
6
carn1vore Mar 19, 2026 +6
Clearly you haven’t read Sun Tsu. While smaller than Iran and not possessing the nuclear umbrella of North Korea, Florida Man stands as an ultimate wildcard and deterrent preventing aggression against the Sunshine State.
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chotchss Mar 19, 2026 +7
Iran can’t really project power beyond their neighborhood beyond missiles and backing armed groups. In a straight military fight, they are completely outclassed by the US military in terms of total equipment and quality. But that doesn’t matter, because they sit right next to a critical supply line and close to a number of highly vulnerable economic systems: oil and gas production facilities. All they need to do is hit one ship a month or land a single drone within an oil refinery to create massive ripples in the economy. And keep in mind that it’s not just about fuel, but all of the by products of oil such as fertilizers. Think of it this way: a human (the US) can easily swat a mosquito (Iran). But a single mosquito bite can give a human malaria.
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ReaditTrashPanda Mar 19, 2026 +3
Thank you, and thoughtful analogy
3
StardiveSoftworks Mar 19, 2026 +6
That's why I said economically. The size of an economy defines its maximum military potential. Although as a bit of a funny aside, the Florida Air National Guard is substantially more capable than the Iranian airforce and the state of Florida does have a military, including missiles, under the Florida National Guard and those military units, absent federalization, are answerable to the Governor of Florida. At present that includes F35, F15 and special operations units, along with patriot batteries under 164th and heavy artillery & ballistic missiles under 116th. Then you have the assorted infantry, special forces and engineering units. You're correct, Iran is not a conventional military threat, as evidenced by its leader being assassinated on day 1 along with most of its military leadership, its airforce and navy ceasing to exist as coherent entities and western and israeli bombers operating over its airspace non-stop with a single instance of a possible hit. It is however a threat to shipping in the region and it makes sense from the US perspective to try to externalize any costs, especially given opening the straits are far more important to Europe than to the US when it comes down to it.
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blackadder1620 Mar 19, 2026 +2
ah, he meant economically with the state part. i say a similar thing when talking about the gdp of my state, it's pretty close to iraq. i use my example to show how rich america is, and how poor some states can be/feel. half my states budgets comes from other states. glass cannon parts means they have teeth but, aren't able to keep talking hits long term. they have a few tools that are a threat, but otherwise it's not looking good on their front.
2
Westbrooks3ptShot Mar 19, 2026 +15
They have already downed around 20 reaper drones. US has plenty more but they are far from c****.
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syynapt1k Mar 19, 2026 +10
One costs about 30 million US tax dollars to replace. There will be money for that, but not for anything that benefits you and me.
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shorthairs Mar 19, 2026 +2
Yeah but if you order in bulk - batches of 4 - only a mere $16 million each!
2
nuadarstark Mar 19, 2026 +12
If you fly thousands of sorties per week, the other side is bound to make a hit at some point. Just to remind everyone, even freaking Serbs managed to shoot down a f117. Or that US lost 52 planes in the air campaign of the Desert Storm.
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PartyLikeAByzantine Mar 19, 2026 +8
>The iranians aren't stupid, they'll keep refining their air defences and eventually start to score points. They're not stupid, but ground based defenses will always be on the back foot against air power like this. Using your radar is both largely ineffective against this kind of aircraft and announces to the world where you are. IR is limited by line of sight, weather conditions and other technical limits. Every advantage is with the stealth fighter. It has the high ground, excellent sensors and freedom of movement. That doesn't mean you can't score wins with skill, tenacity and luck, but it also means you always need skill, tenacity and luck to eke out a victory. Lack any of those and, at best, the jet gets away unscathed. At worst, well, you can get it wrong once. This might be a stupid war of choice like Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but the US still isn't Russia.
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mattyboy555 Mar 19, 2026 +3
Exnay on war-eh!
3
familyguy20 Mar 19, 2026 +2
Also a good way to show how good Chinese air defenses are. This did a good job
2
questionname Mar 19, 2026 +2
And they will share that knowledge and best practice with their best pal Russia and China
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Dexterus Mar 19, 2026 +2
China has a specially built spy ship in the area, recording everything that happens.
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cruisin_urchin87 Mar 19, 2026 +2
The war ended two weeks ago. Why is everyone still fighting? “You can’t do that!”
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ichii3d Mar 19, 2026 +2
... or they are just testing Chinas new defense systems for them.
2
RutabagaFree4065 Mar 19, 2026 +2
It's almost like Ukraine is way stronger of a force today than they were 3 years ago. And like Iran has an extremely hardened military complex and a very well educated population that will rapidly start iterating and figuring out how to defeat our expensive weapons with cheaper ones. 
2
Sweaty_Abies182 Mar 19, 2026 +5
The no war president.
5
Malaix Mar 19, 2026 +2
"Hey this war is not a war. How dare you question my war. Its totally not a war. Its treason to detract from me during a war!" ~Trump during all of this basically
2
Left_Lack_3544 Mar 19, 2026 +39
Thought Iran was “incapacitated “?
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Mukarsis Mar 19, 2026 +43
Even the Serbs managed to down an F-117. Iran just needs to get lucky once and that wreckage will be in Russia about as quickly as the pilot ends up on Iranian TV.
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progrethth Mar 20, 2026 +15
The Serbs downed one and damaged another.
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Curmudgeonadjacent Mar 19, 2026 +51
Another $90M stolen from healthcare, housing, food, education.
51
NecroSoulMirror-89 Mar 19, 2026 +7
Humanity hanging from a cross of iron -Dwight D Eisenhower  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=04P4zPzspuI&pp=ygUfZWlzZW5ob3dlciBjcm9zcyBvZiBpcm9uIHNwZWVjaA%3D%3D
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Blubbolo Mar 19, 2026 +24
Impossible! Pedo in chief said they won the war and that Iran doesn't have a military, navy, Air force nor air defence.
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Bob-the-cat21 Mar 20, 2026 +4
I thought he said they paralyzed the enemy 100% !!!!
4
elephant35e Mar 19, 2026 +19
Trump starts illegal war, so much expensive damage is being done, all for nothing.
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fiendishrabbit Mar 19, 2026 +20
I wonder how high this bird was flying when it was struck. If it was, for some reason, flying below 5km...then that's carelessness from the US Airforce/Navy. If it was flying above 5km, then that's bad news for the future of the F-35.
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NecroSoulMirror-89 Mar 19, 2026 +5
Tbf when trump and co keep saying Iran is done and their skies are as safe as the us people get careless
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Jerithil Mar 19, 2026 +4
Really depends on how they are flying the missions. If they are flying in daylight and getting lazy with their routing they can be spotted visually then the enemy can call ahead(preferably with a landline) and place AA right in the path that is not turned so no emissions on until just before the F35 gets there and then launch a bunch of missile up.
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juanjung Mar 19, 2026 +9
But the Secretary of War Crimes said Iran armed forces are totally defeated. Did he lie?
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Clear_Consequence647 Mar 19, 2026 +18
Yeah, no shit. Trillions for Iranian target practice. This is America.  Universal healthcare: nope High speed rail: nope Stable infrastructure: nope Paternal leave: nope Assistance with childcare costs: nope
18
discardthemold Mar 20, 2026 +15
Iran shooting down an F-35 today echoes exactly what happened at the Battle of Ap Bac in 1963. Back then, the US thought their helicopters were invulnerable high-tech gods, but the VC proved that even the most advanced air superiority can be countered by a disciplined defense. Once this happened, the Vietcong were no longer afraid of American air because now they knew that they weren't unstoppable.
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Ok_Recording81 Mar 20, 2026 +16
It was not shot down. 
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fresh-dork Mar 19, 2026 +5
that sort of thing happens in a war
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Other_Information_16 Mar 19, 2026 +5
So I thought Iran has no air defence left…..
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lozinja Mar 19, 2026 +4
Those crazy Iranian scientists invented Schrödinger's air defence!
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ice-eight Mar 19, 2026 +8
The F35 kind of forgot about the ~~Iron~~ Iran Fleet
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syynapt1k Mar 19, 2026 +8
Our enemies would \*love\* to get their hands on one of those. Even one being shot down and collected would be significant.
8
reelcon Mar 19, 2026 +20
Why are Dems not coming to the streets raising slogans and giving interviews that they don’t support this madness is really surprising 😢
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tmoeagles96 Mar 19, 2026 +12
Because they largely do, even most of the criticism was based on him not following proper procedures. Most of the establishment dems are just as pro Israel and in the pocket of the military industrial complex.
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nutationsf Mar 19, 2026 +5
And by the time an election rolls around everyone has tuned it out. Timing is important
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zzyul Mar 19, 2026 +4
B/c opposition of this war will be seen as casting support for the evil IRGC. Notice how most of the protests against the war are by colleges aged white people while the counter protests supporting the war are mostly Iranians and other people of middle eastern descent?
4
ResplendentSmoke Mar 19, 2026 +8
Because Democratic leadership does not meaningfully oppose this war. They will make noise about procedural issues like not getting Congressional approval or saying it was poorly thought out, but Democratic leadership (e.g. Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries) broadly support the idea of regime change in Iran. They have for their entire career. Remember, the last major thing Obama did was negotiate something of a normalization agreement with Iran, the JCPOA. Not only was he torn apart by Republicans for this, but his own party lambasted him for daring to negotiate with the Iranian regime. Hillary Clinton said she wouldn’t support it if she was elected president, and Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi both openly said Obama was on his way out and they would repeal the agreement as soon as a hypothetical President Clinton took office. The Democrats are just as captured by the military industrial complex and Israeli lobbying interests. This war was going to happen in the next decade at some point. Trump just accelerated the timeline and went in completely half-cocked with no planning because he and his administration are f****** idiots and are *completely* comprised by Israel, whereas most Democrats are just captured by funding. Kamala Harris said in her DNC speech that Iran was the greatest threat to US security and she would push for increased military spending to prepare for a confrontation with Iran. You can find the clips of her saying this. Now, I think Kamala Harris would’ve probably listened to her generals and not chosen to invade *now* with no plan. But the interests behind this war would’ve prevailed eventually.
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flyengineer Mar 20, 2026 +4
Not sure where you are getting your info, but at least in respect to Clinton, you are mistaken. From my memory she was a strong proponent of the JCPOA. Now in her initial campaign against Obama, she was critical of his Iran approach, but as SOS, she helped him implement an economic pressure campaign to bring Iran to the table for establishing the JCPOA. But you don’t have to take my word for it. From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Hillary_Clinton Some notable Iran positions: In October 2007, Clinton cosponsored a bill prohibiting the use of funds for military action in Iran without "explicit Congressional authorization." In January 2016, Clinton said, "I'm very proud of the Iran Nuclear Agreement. I was very pleased to be part of what the president put into action when he took office. I was responsible for getting those sanctions imposed which put the pressure on Iran. It brought them to the negotiating table which resulted in this agreement. But I think we still have to carefully watch them." Both of those seem exceedingly reasonable (and prescient). TL;DR: both sides are NOT the same.
4
flyengineer Mar 20, 2026 +3
As far as Harris, I was unable to find the quote you reference. The closest I found was: “Harris was asked whether she would use military force to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, but she said she would not discuss hypotheticals.” https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2024/10/8/kamala-harris-says-iran-is-greatest-adversary-of-us
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Pellaeonthewingedleo Mar 19, 2026 +4
Never stop your enemy making a mistake. Every day Trump can't galvanize his base by telling them the left is harming the war by protesting it is a day a magahat might reconsider his allegience
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Xzentrix86 Mar 19, 2026 +2
America's muscle getting a cramp
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solobaggins Mar 19, 2026 +2
Must be a bird strike. Iran has been destroyed, apparently. Or so it says on the telly
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Comfortable-Face4593 Mar 20, 2026 +2
USA military- all the gear, no f****** idea
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biggmonk Mar 20, 2026 +2
That's unfortunate news, on another note, someone tell me a jet fighter that is better than a raptor? It's impossible, I don't think there can be...
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FactoryIdiot Mar 20, 2026 +2
Well that's a bit embarrassing.
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TheBraveGallade Mar 20, 2026 +2
Tge fact that it managed to return to base is more of a selling point then anything else imo
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IceMysterious3056 Mar 19, 2026 +5
It's not like it happened mutiple times..apparently Iran got lucky. If it happens many times...it won't be luck anymore.
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