An Iranian air defense system struck a US F-35 during a combat mission over Iran at approximately 2:50 AM local time on March 19. The IRGC posted video of the hit. Iran's state media called the aircraft "severely damaged." US Central Command said it made an emergency landing at a regional base. The pilot is stable.

This is the first confirmed hit on an American stealth fighter in combat.

Stealth is not invisibility. It reduces radar detection through shape and radar-absorbent materials. But jet engines produce significant heat. Infrared-guided systems do not need radar. They track thermal signatures.

Iran developed this approach. It was first proven effective in Yemen, where Iranian-supported Houthi rebels used passive infrared sensors to target aircraft. Iran used its own playbook against American hardware.

"What is remarkable in the current Iran war is not that a U.S. F-35 was hit — but that combat losses to date have been all but nil," noted Air & Space Forces Magazine.

The F-35 was conducting suppression of enemy air defenses, escorting B-2 bombers striking Iranian nuclear sites, and intercepting Iranian drones approaching the USS Abraham Lincoln. According to unconfirmed reports, Operation Epic Fury has cost roughly 20 US aircraft in three weeks — including three F-15E Strike Eagles lost in a friendly fire incident with Kuwaiti fighters.

The pilot lived. The aircraft landed. That is the story.

— SAMUEL CRANE, Washington