IDF fighter jet nearly forced to land while flying over Iran – report

Israeli fighter jet was nearly forced to make an emergency landing while flying in Iranian airspace after suffering a critical malfunction in the midst of Israel’s air campaign.

By World Israel News Staff

An Israeli fighter jet suffered a major malfunction while en route to its target in Iran during last month’s air campaign against Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, Israeli media reported over the weekend.

According to a report by Channel 12 on Saturday, an American-made, Israel Air Force-operated F-15 fighter jet was nearly forced to make an emergency landing after the pilot found a malfunction that left his aircraft without sufficient fuel to carry out his mission and return to Israel as planned.

While already flying over Iran, the pilot reportedly found that a fuel tank was not functioning properly, effectively reducing his plane’s operating range.

No refueling aircraft was accompanying his sortie, nor was one scheduled to rendezvous with him soon enough to compensate for the failed fuel tank.

The pilot notified the air force of the problem, leading staff on the ground to draft two possible options to avoid a forced emergency landing on Iranian soil or the forced ditching of the aircraft.

For the first plan, the Israel Air Force quickly dispatched a refueler aircraft to make an unscheduled refueling of the malfunctioning F-15.

However, given the narrow time margin, a backup plan was also drawn up according to which the pilot would fly to a neighboring country for an emergency landing just beyond Iran’s borders.

The report did not specify which country was being considered. However, only a handful of nearby countries have ties with Israel, including Azerbaijan, which shares a border with Iran, and Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, both of which are separated from Iran by the Persian Gulf.

No emergency landing was carried out in the end, after the emergency refueling operation was conducted successfully, enabling the F-15 to return to base.