TEHRAN, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian army confirmed that its air defense systems shot down a U.S. A-10 "Warthog" attack plane on Friday over Iran's southern waters near the Strait of Hormuz, with the aircraft crashing into the Persian Gulf.
The announcement, published on the army's website, came shortly after Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps said that it had downed a U.S. F-35 fighter jet in central Iranian airspace earlier in the day.
Later Friday, Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter was also hit by a projectile in Iranian airspace while searching for the pilot of the downed U.S. fighter jet.
The United States has not officially commented on Iran's claim yet.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East. ■
