Trump says he bombed Iran

[putnam6]

My gas has gone up about 2.50 a gallon since this started, it's just under 9.00.

[Mantiss2021]

There are reports that a US F-35 stealth jet flying a mission over Iran was hit "possibly by enemy fire(?)" and was forced to make an emergency landing. 

The pilot is reported to be in stable condition.


Two questions:

- If Iran's air defenses been "destroyed", what hit the jet  while it was over Iran? (No suggestion, yet, of a "friendly fire" incident)

- If thIs F-35 was hit by Iranian(?) air defenses (which are not supposed to exist any more), does this mean that "stealth" is no longer the defense we thought it was?


Barring an absolutely insane fluke, the answer to that second question could prove to be VERY upsetting, and a warning about where this conflict could be heading.

[putnam6]

There are reports that a US F-35 stealth jet flying a mission over Iran was hit "possibly by enemy fire(?)" and was forced to make an emergency landing. 

The pilot is reported to be in stable condition.


Two questions:

- If Iran's air defenses been "destroyed", what hit the jet  while it was over Iran? (No suggestion, yet, of a "friendly fire" incident)

- If thIs F-35 was hit by Iranian(?) air defenses (which are not supposed to exist any more), does this mean that "stealth" is no longer the defense we thought it was?


Barring an absolutely insane fluke, the answer to that second question could prove to be VERY upsetting, and a warning about where this conflict could be heading.

Stealth just makes it blind to RADAR directed defense systems. Speed and altitude make shooting one down difficult but not impossible
 

No, this incident does not mean "stealth" is suddenly obsolete or that the F-35's low-observability features were a myth. Your own summary nails the core point: stealth (specifically radar stealth) primarily blinds or severely degrades radar-directed defense systems, while speed, altitude, electronic warfare, tactics, and overall mission design make intercepts difficult—but never 100% impossible in real combat.
Here's what actually happened, based on available reports as of March 20, 2026:
A U.S. F-35 (likely an F-35A) was flying a combat mission over Iran when it sustained damage from suspected Iranian fire. It made a safe emergency landing at a regional U.S. base with the pilot in stable condition. CENTCOM confirmed the landing and damage but has not officially attributed the cause to enemy action (they're investigating). Iran’s IRGC claimed a surface-to-air missile hit from their air defenses, releasing thermal/IR video purporting to show a missile impact on the aircraft's port side (with what looks like fluid leakage or engine heat afterward). The footage's authenticity is unverified by independent sources, and the exact hit mechanism (radar lock, IR cueing, or something else) isn't confirmed. 
This would be the first confirmed U.S. crewed aircraft hit by Iranian fire in the current operation (starting late February 2026). The plane was not shot down—it returned safely, which itself says something about its design resilience.
Why this doesn't "prove stealth is dead"
The F-35's stealth is radar cross-section (RCS) reduction—shaped airframe, radar-absorbent materials, internal weapons, etc.—optimized against the high-frequency fire-control radars (X-band and above) that modern SAMs need for precise tracking and missile guidance. It doesn't make the jet invisible to everything:

• IR/thermal signatures from the engines are real (the F-35 is no SR-71 in that regard). IRST systems or passive sensors can detect hot jets, especially if cued by something else or at closer ranges.
  
• Low-frequency (VHF/UHF) radars can sometimes spot a general "blob" but lack the precision to guide missiles effectively on their own.
  
• At very short ranges, certain aspects, or after repeated high-tempo ops over defended territory, the probability of detection goes up.
  
• Other factors like visual acquisition, electronic support measures, or networked defenses can play a role.
  

The Iranian claim (and thermal footage) aligns more with non-radar or hybrid detection than a clean radar lock at long range—which is exactly what stealth is designed to prevent. Iran's layered systems (Bavar-373, S-300 variants, etc.) have long claimed anti-stealth capability, but those claims were unproven until now... and even here, it was only a single hit on a damaged-but-recoverable jet amid what the U.S. describes as largely degraded defenses. 
Speed and altitude (F-35 cruises high and can go supersonic) further shrink the engagement envelope for ground-based missiles. Add in the F-35's own sensors, jamming, and the fact that U.S./allied forces are actively suppressing those defenses (SEAD missions), and the overall survivability remains extremely high. One damaged aircraft after weeks of operations doesn't rewrite that math—it provides real-world data for tweaks (better IR suppression coatings, updated tactics, etc.).
The "not supposed to exist anymore" angle in the original post refers to U.S. claims that Iranian air defenses were "flattened." Remnants or mobile systems clearly still pose occasional threats—that's war, not a video game where everything vanishes after the first wave. But it doesn't signal a broader collapse of fifth-generation advantages. The F-35 has flown thousands of sorties in contested environments with zero combat losses until this damage incident. History shows even "invincible" platforms (F-117, B-2, etc.) can take hits under the right (or wrong) conditions; stealth just tilts the odds massively.
In short: Your take is spot-on. This is a reminder that no single technology is a magic shield—it's a layered system, and combat is probabilistic. An isolated hit on a survivable jet in degraded airspace isn't the paradigm-shifting catastrophe some headlines suggest. It might be embarrassing for the "air defenses obliterated" narrative and useful propaganda for Iran, but it doesn't mean the F-35 (or stealth in general) has lost its core value. If anything, it underscores why the full package—stealth + speed + altitude + EW + pilot skill—still dominates.

[angelchemuel]

£141.p per litre.  Pence.

When did you last buy petrol.... or is that shity supermarket petrol prices you are quoting?
I filled my car last Tuesday at a BP garage with Premium and it was 150.05 per litre. It went up 5p in a week.
Rainbows
Jane

[Kwaka]

Bibi has finally turned up in a way that is more appropriate for one in his position. Bibi does agree with Joe Kent in that the objective of this war is to politically destabilize Iran. Bibi acknowledges there are no guaranties that this will be achieved. Aiming for a state of perpetual civil war.

On the nuclear issue, it is Bibi's imagination that frightens him most. With how Palestine has gone, he knows he deserves a nuking.  

Bibi does value Genghis Khan more than Jesus Christ in what they have done for this world. If it was not for the community cohesion that Jesus helped promote, we would still be fighting on horse back with bows and arrows. 

[Kurokage]

Here is another reason for the Iranian terrorist supporters to cheer.

Public hangings of protestors, including a champion wrestler. 

It must really warm your hearts to support some diabolical shit like that.

The equivalent would be Trump executing all the anti-Trump protestors.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/mojtaba-k...during-war
 

Please post comments were members have been "Iranian terrorist supporters"? Your sad appeal to extremes and strawman argument just fall flat.

I haven't seen anyone support Iran here, just people p*ssed about Trump whining that America isn't the world police, then doing just that because Netanyahu says so.

[Sky727]

Closing the weapon tunnels. Bad way to die in slow motion. 

[Kurokage]

I think there are,

And I think I know who they are,

That's some really serious paranoia DB if you truly believe that, and could start to 'slip' into to your real life.

We may disagree on somethings but that doesn't make us enemies and my comment is genuine my friend.

[putnam6]

When did you last buy petrol.... or is that shity supermarket petrol prices you are quoting?
I filled my car last Tuesday at a BP garage with Premium and it was 150.05 per litre. It went up 5p in a week.
Rainbows
Jane

Our grocery store savings card offers a gas discount of 15-20 cents per gallon, depending on how much you spend at the grocery store.

The guy at the BP will be wondering where we went.

Sam's Club and Costco do the same, but they are farther away.

[Kurokage]

I think Trump is now maybe trying to add a little distance between him and Netanyahu?? It's the same old routine he uses when the sh*t hits the fan and he doesn't want to get splashed... 

Trump Netanyahu trade barbs gas price surge

Trump and Netanyahu trade barbs as gas price surge threatens Iran War alliance: US insists they were NOT told of plans to hit fuel plant but Israeli officials deny that - and Bibi says it's 'fake news' that Tel Aviv dragged Washington into the conflict.

Donald Trump said he warned Benjamin Netanyahu not to strike any more gas fields after a controversial Israeli attack sent global energy prices spiralling.
The US President sparked speculation of a split with his ally after insisting he 'knew nothing' of its plan to hit South Pars in Iran, the world's largest gas field.
Tehran ignored calls for restraint yesterday and furiously retaliated with its own strikes on energy infrastructure in Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.  
And, despite warnings, attacks were continuing overnight, with drones sparking a fire at a refinery in Kuwait.  

As the war spiralled, Mr Trump insisted the 'little excursion' will be 'over pretty soon' and said he has spoken with the Israeli PM about striking oil and gas fields.
'I told him, don't do that, and he won't do that,' the President told reporters as he met Japan's prime minister.
'We're independent, but get along great,' he added, explaining that the strikes are 'co–ordinated' but occasionally Mr Netanyahu will 'do something' that he opposes.
It came after he appeared to lambast Israel in the immediate aftermath of the South Pars strike, accusing them on Truth Social of having 'violently lashed out'.
He said: 'The United States knew nothing about this particular attack,' adding that 'NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL' on the South Pars field unless they're provoked by Iran.

But Mr Trump also warned that if Iran did not back down, Washington would 'massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars gas field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before'.
Mr Netanyahu last night denied 'dragging' the US into the war, branding such claims 'fake news' before saying 'does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do?'