The single-crew fighters can cost more than $100 million each. What to know about the jets.

If confirmed, it would be the first successful Iranian attack on an American military fighter since conflict escalated in late February.

The F-35 will also serve as a test bed for technologies that will become commonplace in the next generation of jets. Flying in coordination with AI-enabled drones will become a staple of any sixth-generation fighter, and those new fighter tricks will likely first arrive in the form of the F-35.

Reacting to reports of the F-35 aircraft being damaged, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf mocked the reputation of the F-35 as an "untouchable" platform and framed the episode as a turning point.

Iran's IRGC released a video claiming to have targeted a US F-35 fighter jet over its airspace. This follows reports of a US F-35 making an emergency landing after being struck, an incident under investigation by US Central Command.

A U.S. F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at an airbase in the Middle East after it was hit, presumably by Iranian air defense forces, CNN reported, citing two sources. The information has not been officially confirmed.