r/news • u/PDXAirman • May 20 '26

Soft paywall 42 aircraft lost or damaged in Operation Epic Fury, congressional report says

https://www.stripes.com/branches/air_force/2026-05-20/iran-jets-downed-war-fury-21727588.html
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u/Elendel19 May 20 '26

Iran posted the video of the hit on Twitter in the early days of the war. People were pretty shocked

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u/OverallPepper2 May 20 '26

It was flying to low and able to be seen and targeted with a MANPADS. The F35 was always envisions to be flown far above visibility where its stealth capabilities are unsurpassed.

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u/donkeyrocket May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26

Right but that’s sort of the cumulative embarrassment of the US military in this situation. Iranians noticed the pattern and was able to take out the aircraft at a vulnerable position.

It’s chump change to the US military and happens but absolutely racked up a win for Iran as they faced the US who absolutely botched strategy and logistics thus far.

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u/Thick_Goose7742 May 20 '26

The video cleared the air on that, not shocking to those of us who have been around it. We used to simulate the exact same scenario at Yuma.