Iran war update: US gets submarine kill on Iranian frigate, F-35 gets first air to air kill.

 

The IRIS Dena, now at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. The Guardian/Reuters. 

The United States has destroyed the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian ocean, marking the first time a US Submarine has torpedoed an enemy ship since World War II. The Guardian. The Dena was returning from India after a fleet review and was torpedoed near Sri Lanka. The ship was Iran's newest vessel and was destroyed. Some survivors were rescued by the Sri Lankans. 32 survivors and 28 bodies have been recovered as of this writing.

https://t.co/PiqQpVIrMu pic.twitter.com/Wc1e0B0um7

— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) March 4, 2026

  

File photo of the F-35 Lightning II, similar to the F-35-Aidr operated by Israel. Times of Israel/Reuters.

Israel has secured the first air-to-air kill of a manned aircraft by an F-35 after shooting down a Yak-130 over Tehran. Times of Israel. The F-35 was the Aidr version used by Israel and is the first time Israel has gotten an air-to-air kill in 40 years. The aircraft shot down, the Yak-130 isn't a pure fighter craft, it's a trainer and strike aircraft, but was more of a threat than other obsolescent designs, like the F-4 Phantom and F-5 Tiger, that Iran had been using. In addition, the UK got their first air-to-air kill of a drone with their own F-35 flying over Jordan. 

My Comment:

This is far from a comprehensive update of everything that is happening with the war in Iran, I obviously did not mention the fact that Iran launched a missile at Turkey, of all places. But I did want to focus on these military firsts given how significant they are.  

First, the sinking of the IRIS Dena. The Dena was one of the most threatening remaining surface combatants Iran had and unlike the rest of the fleet, it was deployed when the conflict started. It appeared to be heading back to Iranian waters. Though the ship was not a powerful surface combatant compared to US ships in the area, it did represent a major threat as it was armed with surface to air and surface to surface missiles, that could potentially be a threat to US planes and ships. It could have even been used as a commerce raider given that it was free in the Indian Ocean. 

Given that, it needed to be destroyed and an attack sub was probably the best option. Airstrikes would have been difficult given the position of the USS Ford and USS Lincoln, and I doubt that the US Navy had a surface ship of their own to go toe to toe with the Dera. Instead a submarine fired two torpedoes at the ship and appears to have destroyed it completely, to the point where the Sri Lankans only saw an oil slick when they came to rescue the survivors. 

Also notable, and somewhat buried in the article is that the ship reported to have their weapons disabled through electronic means. This seems like it goes beyond the normal electronic jamming, as I don't see how it would completely disable the Dena's weapons systems. 

Could this be another use of the famed "discombobluator" that Trump mentioned in the Maduro raid? Trump described it as a weapon that could simply shut off electronics, such as the weapons used by the Dena. From what it sounds like this would be a directed energy weapon that would use high energy microwaves to induce an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) effect on the target. If that is the case, it's a gamechanger as it would give a huge military advantage to the United States for what should be obvious reasons. 

As for the F-35, any dogfight is notable. To be fair, I didn't write a post about the Qatari F-15's that got air-to-air kills on SU-24 fighter jets, but I absolutely did note it. The F-35 finally getting an air-to-air kill is notable given how controversial the type is and because it was against a more modern fighter. 

To be fair, it's not like the Yak-130 is really a top of the line fighter jet. It's a trainer and attack aircraft that can be used as an interceptor in a pinch. It's fast and maneuverable, but it likely had no realistic chance in a long range fight with an F-35, and I am guessing it would struggle in a dogfight as well.  The fact that Iran is using the type at all to contest the skies over Tehran shows that their Air Force has been severely depleted. 

The F-35 has been criticized for not being a good dogfighter and not having the capabilities of the F-22. This should be a minor vindication of the type as it shows that its role as a long range fighter is real. In this combat environment, it would be almost impossible for Iran to get into a dogfight and it makes the use case of the F-35 a lot more defensible. It will still get some well deserved criticism for being overpriced and being vulnerable in dogfights (and for only having one engine), but this use will be a good proof of concept for the fighters use in the future. 

I do have to wonder why Iran even bothered at this point. The chances of a single Yak-130 doing much of anything against the US and Israeli fighters arrayed against them is almost nil. I guess they could have gotten lucky and gotten into missile range of a fighter jet somehow, but even then, at best you shoot down one fighter. It wouldn't change the fact that the United Sates and Israel have total air superiority in this war, and will likely be joined by other nations soon. Though if the leadership of Iran was rational, this war would have never happened in the first place.