In a stunning blow to American air power on the night of day 23 of the 2026 US-Iran war, Iran has sH๏τ down three F-22 Raptor stealth fighters — the backbone of U.S. air superiority — in a single night of intense combat over the Persian Gulf and Iranian airspace.
According to Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps statements and regional monitoring, the advanced fifth-generation jets were engaged by layered Iranian air defenses during a major U.S. strike mission. Sophisticated surface-to-air missiles, combined with electronic warfare and drone swarms, successfully locked onto and destroyed all three Raptors in rapid succession. Wreckage is reported to have fallen into the Gulf and along Iran’s southern coast.
The loss of even one F-22 is considered catastrophic due to its extreme cost and technological edge. Losing three in one night represents one of the worst single-day setbacks for U.S. air forces in decades and directly challenges America’s long-held dominance in the skies.
This latest triumph for Iran comes amid their relentless “Larijani Revenge” campaign. It follows devastating cluster munition strikes that left Tel Aviv in flames, the fiery destruction of the joint U.S.-Israeli naval superbase in Bahrain, the sinking of Western tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, missile attacks on Prince Sultan Air Base that destroyed five U.S. KC-135 tankers, and the downing of a U.S. aircraft carrier by a Russian Su-35.
U.S. Central Command has confirmed the losses and reports nearly 200 American troops injured across the region with 13 confirmed deaths. President Donald Trump has once again admitted the U.S. was caught off guard by the effectiveness of Iran’s integrated air defense network and its ability to challenge even the most advanced American aircraft.
The USS Tripoli remains positioned off Iran’s coast attempting to reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz, while B-2 Spirit bombers continue targeting Iranian missile facilities. However, Iran’s ability to down premier U.S. stealth fighters signals that American air superiority is no longer guaranteed in this theater.
Brent crude remains locked above $110 per barrel as the world watches the conflict spiral.
With three F-22s now gone in one night, the war has delivered a shocking reality check to Washington. Iran continues to prove it can strike back hard against the most sophisticated military hardware in the world.
The situation is extremely fluid and highly dangerous.
