US F-35 Possibly Hit by Russian-Made S-300 Missile Over Iran; Emergency Landing Under Investigation

A US F-35 stealth fighter made an emergency landing after a combat mission over Iran, with analysis pointing to a Russian-supplied S-300PMU-2 surface-to-air missile as the likely cause. If confirmed, this would mark the first combat loss of an F-35 to enemy fire and validate concerns about Russia's advanced air defense exports. The incident directly affects both the Iran campaign's air superiority calculus and broader F-35 vulnerability assessments.