--- title: "The F-35 made historic air-to-air kills against Iran" description: "F-35s in the Royal Air Force and Israeli Air Force made historic air-to-air kills in combat with the platform. " date: "2026-03-04" modified: "2026-03-04" authors: - name: "Miguel Ortiz" job_title: "Senior Contributor, Army Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/miguelortiz/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/tactical/the-f-35-made-historic-air-to-air-kills-against-iran/" categories: - "Aircraft" - "Tactical" tags: - "Aircraft" - "Iran" - "Israel" --- # The F-35 made historic air-to-air kills against Iran ![f-35 air to air kill air force]() *An F-35A Lightning II executed its first live-fire launch of a guided air-to-air missile over a military test range off the California coast. (U.S. Air Force)* The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the fighter jet of choice for the United States and 19 allied nations, including the United Kingdom and Israel. The UK's Royal Air Force flies the F-35B Lightning II while the Israeli Air Force operates the F-35I Adir, Hebrew for “mighty” or “powerful,” an Israeli-specific variant of the F-35. Following the outbreak of the 2026 conflict with Iran, the F-35 has made historic air-to-air kills with both nations. On Mar. 3, 2026, the UK Ministry of Defence announced that the RAF’s F-35Bs made their first air-to-air kills. “RAF F-35B jets operating over Jordanian airspace shot down uncrewed aerial systems in defence of Jordan. **Also Read: [A US submarine sunk an enemy with a torpedo for the first time since WWII]()** This marks the first time RAF F-35 has shot down a target on operations,” the MoD said. “The aircraft was supported by RAF Typhoon jets and a Voyager air-to-air refueling aircraft as part of our defense operation to protect British interests and allies.” https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/2028897331127476568 The UK's Ministry of Defence did not specify how many drones were shot down, but footage of the engagement was later released depicting the shootdown of a single drone with an AIM-132 Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM). RAF F-35s can also carry the Meteor active radar-guided Beyond-Visual-Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) and AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). The MoD also reported drone engagements by an RAF Typhoon and ground-based air defenses. This was a historic engagement for the F-35 in RAF service, but it is not the first air-to-air kill for the platform. That occurred in 2022 when an IAF [F-35I shot down two drones]() en route to the Gaza Strip with missiles. In IAF service, the F-35 conducted another historic engagement when it shot down a manned aircraft for the first time. On Mar. 4, 2026, the Israel Defense Forces announced the successful engagement of an Iranian jet. “An IAF F-35I ‘Adir’ fighter jet shot down an Iranian Air Force YAK-130 fighter jet,” the IDF said. “This is the first shootdown in history of a manned fighter aircraft by an F-35 ‘Adir’ fighter jet.” ![an f-35 made its first air-to-air kill against a Yak-130 like the one in this photo]() *The Yak-130 can carry weapons, but is it really a fighter jet? (Russian Defence Ministry) SAVITSKY Vadim* The IDF report of the Iranian aircraft as a fighter jet isn’t false, but it is a bit of a stretch. Introduced in 2010, the Yakovlev Yak-130 is a subsonic, two-seat jet that can be used as an advanced jet trainer or light combat aircraft. NATO reporting names for enemy fighters start with “F” while miscellaneous aircraft like trainers and aerial refuelers start with “M.” The Yak-130’s NATO reporting name is “Mitten.” To be fair, the Iranian Air Force (or what’s left of it) does/did arm its Yak-130s with Russian Vympel R-73E Short-Range Air-to-Air Missiles. If shooting down drones is the aerial combat equivalent of playing against bots offline, shooting down a Yak-130 is like seal clubbing. Still, an air-to-air kill is an air-to-air kill. ### Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty **• [Finland might have perfected the AR-15 (at least for Arctic combat)]()** **• [Marines reject Army’s SIG M7 rifle, opting to keep H&K M27]()** **• [This plane survived Pearl Harbor and struck back at Midway]()** ## Author Miguel Ortiz is a Senior Contributor for We Are The Mighty covering primarily military news and history with an emphasis on weapons technology. He is a former active duty Army officer and remains a member of the Army IRR. After commissioning through San Diego State University Army ROTC, Miguel served with the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, NY. He has written for We Are The Mighty since 2020, drawing from his passion for the military community and history. Miguel’s work has also been seen on Business Insider and The Blast. He remains an avid shooter, competing in local USPSA matches. Miguel’s other hobbies are traveling and watch collecting. ### Author social links [LinkedIn]()