[News] Explainer: How Iran outsmarted Israel and downed F-35 fighter jets for the first time

[Anti-Imperialist News]

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  Explainer: How Iran outsmarted Israel and downed F-35 fighter jets for
  the first time

Presstv
June 15, 2025
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*By Ivan Kesic*

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*The Iranian armed forces have reportedly shot down at least three 
Israeli F-35 fighter jets, marking the first time a fifth-generation 
stealth aircraft has been successfully downed.*

On Saturday afternoon, the Iranian Army’s Public Relations Office 
announced that Iranian air defenses had taken down a third Israeli F-35 
stealth jet, following the destruction of two other jets the previous night.

This makes Iran the first country in the world to shoot down a 
fifth-generation stealth fighter, 14 years after it famously downed an 
American RQ-170 Sentinel reconnaissance drone.

The Israeli F-35s were intercepted by Iran’s Bavar-373, a long-range 
surface-to-air missile (SAM) system designed to counter aircraft, cruise 
missiles, and ballistic missiles.

The Bavar-373 is capable of engaging targets at considerable distances, 
including advanced stealth fighters like the F-35 and F-22—the latter 
operated exclusively by the United States.

The F-35 fighters represent the most advanced aircraft in the Israeli 
Air Force, outclassing older, non-stealth F-15 and F-16 jets by a full 
generation. These jets were acquired from the United States, with the 
F-35 Lightning II manufactured by Lockheed Martin.

Israel’s customized variant, the F-35I, is engineered for radar evasion, 
enabling deep penetration missions with a reduced risk of detection or 
interception.

Despite its stealth capabilities, newer air defense systems developed by 
several countries, including Iran, have demonstrated the ability to 
detect and shoot down these aircraft.

By downing three enemy stealth fighters, Iranian air defenses have 
shattered the long-standing myth of Israeli “air superiority” cultivated 
over two decades.

The fact that these aircraft were destroyed within 48 hours, while their 
crews were captured, killed, or remain missing, demonstrates a high 
level of tactical sophistication in the command and control of Iranian 
armed forces.

Notably, Israeli aircraft operated with relative impunity on the first 
night, underscoring the strategic tactics employed by Iran to plan and 
execute the successful shootdowns later.

*Falling for the bait*

The Israeli F-35s were destroyed in Iranian airspace on the second day 
of Israeli aggression on Iran, after the regime commanders believed they 
had severely damaged Iranian air defenses on the first day, Friday.

While the number and usual deployment of Iranian radar batteries can be 
estimated from open-source and intelligence data, distinguishing real 
air defenses from decoys remains challenging. These decoys are intended 
to mislead anti-radiation missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.

During the attacks, Israeli regime forces primarily used drones equipped 
with electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) sensors to strike radar 
installations. However, once these drones detonate, their sensors are 
destroyed, leaving operators uncertain whether they eliminated real 
radar systems or decoys.

Reconnaissance drones and satellites offer insufficient resolution for 
precise damage assessment. The only reliable verification would require 
agents on the ground deep inside Iran—a high-risk and unlikely scenario.

Iran has long been known to employ sophisticated military decoys, 
including radar batteries. These decoys are far more advanced than 
simple wooden mock-ups; some emit false radar signals to mimic real 
activity and can cost upwards of $10,000 each.

On the first night of the Israeli regime’s attacks on mostly civilian 
areas in Tehran, Iran combined decoys with strategic deception by 
withdrawing many real radar batteries from service and hiding them, 
while exposing only mock-ups.

Israeli drones targeted these apparent radar sites, believing they had 
crippled Iranian defenses and gained air superiority.

This miscalculation proved costly. On subsequent attacks, Israeli 
fighter jets ventured deeper into Iranian airspace, unaware that 
functional radar systems had been reactivated. Iranian air defenses 
surprised the Israeli Air Force by engaging and shooting down several 
advanced stealth fighters.

Had Iranian forces attempted to down jets on the first night without 
this element of surprise, their success would have been doubtful. 
Additionally, any wreckage from early shootdowns would likely have 
fallen into neighboring Iraq, offering Iran little opportunity for 
technological study.

*Denial and concealment*

Predictably, the Israeli regime has denied it to maintain morale among 
its already embattled forces and protect the false reputation of its 
supposedly “invincible” air power.

Acknowledging losses would also strain relations with the United States, 
which fears advanced Israeli F-35 technology falling into the hands of 
Iran, or potentially Russia or China.

The US restricts F-35 sales to a select group of trusted allies, 
including Israel, under strict conditions (Turkey, for example, has been 
excluded). The F-22 Raptor, the second American stealth fighter, is not 
exported to any allies due to its highly sensitive technology.

Loss of these fighters would be a major blow to American military 
prestige, as demonstrated by the fallout from Iran’s downing of the 
RQ-170 Sentinel, which reportedly informed Iranian drone and subsystem 
development.

Despite numerous unofficial photos of wreckage circulating online, the 
Iranian armed forces have yet to release official images of the downed 
F-35s.

This restraint likely aims to conceal the extent of recovered technology 
and prevent adversaries from accurately assessing which advanced systems 
Iran and its allies may soon exploit.

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