April 9, 2026 • Iranian airspace & Isfahan region
Lockheed Martin F-35 & Boeing F-15E Downed by Iran – US Air Superiority Myth Shattered & Rescue Losses Exposed - Full Infograph
Former Egyptian Ambassador to Israel Rafah Al-Ansari exposes the devastating blow to American weapons prestige during the 2026 Iran conflict: Iran downed a stealth F-35 (outside Iran) and an F-15E deep inside its territory using upgraded multi-layered air defenses, electronic warfare, and sophisticated ambushes—triggering an unprecedented “shaking of confidence” in US fighters and bombers once considered invincible. The fallout forced a high-risk 5-hour Delta Force rescue 500 km inside Iran costing an A-10, two Black Hawks (hit mid-air), two C-130s (deliberately destroyed on a dirt runway), and two Little Birds, all while 155 total US aircraft supported the operation. Al-Ansari details exactly how this proved America’s top jets could be beaten and why the “balance of terror” became dangerously fragile.
📝 SMikhail
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F-35 & F-15E
Premier US Jets Downed
Stealth F-35 shot down and damaged outside Iran; F-15E shot down inside Iran—both aircraft long hailed as the most advanced in the world with full satellite, radar, and electronic-warfare integration.
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155 aircraft
Total US Air Support in Rescue
Massive armada used in the pilot rescue: 1 A-10, 4 bombers, 64 fighters, 24 tankers, 13 rescue planes, 2 C-130s, 3 medium transports, 2 Black Hawks, 2 Little Birds + others.
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5 major losses
Confirmed US Aircraft Losses
1 A-10 (shot down), 2 Black Hawks (hit in air but flew out), 2 C-130s (stuck on dirt runway and deliberately destroyed), 2 Little Birds (destroyed on ground to prevent capture).
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Ahzaz al-thiqa
Shaken Confidence
Direct phrase used by Al-Ansari: the war entered its “most dangerous file” — the shaking of confidence in American fighters and bombers.
- Iran successfully downed multiple American aircraft, including the stealth F-35 (which landed damaged outside Iran) and an F-15E fighter (inside Iran).
- These jets were described as the most superior in the world, operating within a fully integrated system of satellites, advanced radar coverage, and accompanying electronic-warfare assets.
- The downing was not accidental or minor — it represented a direct challenge to the long-held belief in unchallenged US air dominance.
- Al-Ansari states this pushed the war into its “most dangerous file”: اهتزاز الثقه في المقاتلات والقادفات الامريكيه (shaking of confidence in American fighters and bombers).
- 1. Upgraded air defenses: Trump claimed they were completely destroyed, yet Iran revealed new locally developed, multi-layered systems (with possible Chinese/Russian assistance) capable of detecting stealth targets and engaging at long range.
- 2. Electronic warfare: Jamming of guidance signals, radar deception, and flooding the sky with fake targets, creating a highly complex and unreliable environment for US and Israeli aircraft.
- 3. Integrated ambush tactics: Aircraft were not downed by a single missile but lured into pre-set kill zones where multiple radar types and missile systems fired simultaneously after jamming radars and sealing escape routes.
- To extract the downed pilots, the US launched a massive 5-hour operation 500 km inside Iran involving 155 aircraft and 300 Delta Force operators.
- Losses included: 1 A-10 Warthog (shot down from the air), 2 Black Hawk helicopters (hit in mid-air but managed to fly out with injured crew), 2 C-130 transport planes (landed on short unused dirt runway, became stuck, and were deliberately exploded to deny technology to Iran), and 2 Little Bird helicopters (destroyed on the ground).
- No US deaths occurred among the rescue force itself, but the material losses were significant and publicly confirmed by the Pentagon.
- The shoot-downs and subsequent rescue losses delivered a double blow: Iran proved it could inflict real pain on America’s most advanced air assets; the US proved it could still operate deep inside Iran — creating a fragile “balance of terror.”
- Al-Ansari emphasizes this was not just tactical damage but a strategic shock that forced the world to question the invincibility of American weapons systems.
- No photos or videos of the downed pilots or the rescue operation were ever released, adding to the mystery and psychological weight.
- Rumors of a secret uranium theft from Natanz were explicitly debunked by Al-Ansari as false.
KEY QUOTES
اسقاط عدد من الطائرات الامريكيه وهو امر ليس سهلا ولا حادثا عابرا
هذه الطائرات هي الاكثر تفوقا في العالم وتعمل ضمن منظومه متكامله
ادخل هذه الحرب في اخطر ملفاتها وهو اهتزاز الثقه في المقاتلات والقادفات الامريكيه
تطوير دفاعاتها الجويه... طورت انظمه محليه متقدمه... بمساعدات صينيه وروسيه... متعدده الطبقات وبقدره نسبيه على رصد الاهداف الشبحيه
الحرب الالكترونيه... انظمه للتشويش على الاشارات وتضليل انظمه التوجيه... خداع الكتروني للرادارات واغراق باهداف وهميه
التكتيك الدفاعي... كمين متكامل من مختلف نوعيات الصواريخ... عده اكمنه جويه باستدراج الطائرات الامريكيه والتشويش على راداراتها وغلق مسارات انسحابها
البنتاجون خسر طائره... A-10... ومروحيتين... بلاك هوك... وطائرتين نقل... سي 130... ومروحيتين... ليتلبيرد
تم تفجير طائرتي النقل والمروحيتين... حتى لا تقع في ايدي ايران
Rafah Al-Ansari
رفعة الأنصاري
F-35 downed Iran
F-15E shot down
US air superiority shattered
American aircraft losses 2026
A-10 loss
Black Hawk hit
C-130 destroyed Iran
Little Bird destroyed
electronic warfare Iran
Iranian air defenses
balance of terror
Delta Force rescue losses
shaken confidence US jets