IRAN USED RUSSIAN MISSILES TO DOWN U.S FIGHTER JET – INTELLIGENCE REPORT

April 10, 2026 • Dons Eze • 1 min read

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IRAN likely used lethal Russian shoulder-fired missiles to shoot down a US fighter jet, intelligence sources told The Sun.

The regime quietly made a £450m deal with Moscow to buy 500 Verba launchers with 2,500 9M336 missiles as Donald Trump built an armada in the region.

At least some were delivered in January, it is understood.

Intelligence analysts, who asked to remain anonymous, claimed a £60m US F-15 Eagle jet downed on Friday was hit by 9K333 Verba Man Portable air defence systems (MANPADs) obtained from Russia in a planned ambush.

The deadly missiles are effective against aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles flying at low altitudes.

They have an altitude range of around 5km, guided by a three-channel infrared seeker designed to improve resistance and reduce vulnerability to heat decoys and other countermeasures of conventional fighter aircraft.

It comes as Trump confirmed the second US service member from the downed fighter had been rescued in a remote mountain region.

The two-man plane – normally based at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk – was hit on Friday during a sortie over Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province in southern Iran.

Elite units quickly rescued the pilot – but they faced a race against the clock to save the second crew member, a colonel.

Both had ejected into enemy territory before the plane hit the ground and exploded.

Dons Eze

DONS EZE, PhD, Political Philosopher and Journalist of over four decades standing, worked in several newspaper houses across the country, and rose to the positions of Editor and General Manager. A UNESCO Fellow in Journalism, Dr. Dons Eze, a prolific writer and author of many books, attended several courses on Journalism and Communication in both Nigeria and overseas, including a Postgraduate Course on Journalism at Warsaw, Poland; Strategic Communication and Practical Communication Approach at RIPA International, London, the United Kingdom, among others.