00:00How Iran actually hit a U.S. F-35 stealth jet
00:03Every news channel right now is blowing up with the exact same question
00:08How in the world did a tiny Iranian missile manage to target a fighter jet
00:12that even Russia's billion dollar radar systems can't spot?
00:16Let's break down exactly what went down
00:19First, take a look at this beast
00:21The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
00:24The absolute boss of fifth generation aviation
00:28The U.S. dropped over $100 million a pop
00:31to design this thing to slip right past enemy radar
00:34and cruise into hostile territory without breaking a sweat
00:38Its main job? Wiping out enemy air defenses and totally dominating the skies
00:43And to pull that off, it uses the most insane, top-secret stealth tech on the planet
00:49The F-35 had an eight-year combat streak
00:53Never shot hit, not even once
00:55So the big question is, what is the ultimate weak spot of the world's most advanced fighter jet?
01:01How did Iran figure it out and do what even Russia and China couldn't?
01:06Look, nowadays, anti-aircraft systems mostly use two ways to guide their missiles
01:11Radar and heat-seeking
01:13Now the F-35 is an absolute master at dodging radar
01:17Because of its crazy shape and radar-absorbing materials
01:21Its radar footprint is so tiny
01:23that billion-dollar missile systems like the S-300 and S-400 just can't lock onto it
01:30The radar signal literally just doesn't bounce back
01:33But every superhero has a weakness, right?
01:37The F-35 packs a single engine called the Pratt & Whitney F-135
01:42It's one of the most powerful fighter engines in the world
01:45But with all that power comes a massive amount of heat
01:48And that insane heat?
01:50That's its biggest flaw
01:51The date was March 19, 2026
01:552.50 a.m. Central Iran
01:57Instead of relying on radar for their modern defense
02:00Iran was using something called an Infrared Search and Track System
02:05or IRST
02:07These systems scan the sky looking for heat signatures
02:11And sure enough, this system quickly picked up the super-hot exhaust coming from the F-35's engine
02:17The scariest part?
02:19IRST doesn't send out any signals of its own
02:22So the F-35 pilot had zero clue he was even locked onto
02:27Now let's talk about Iran's weapon
02:29The missile used in this attack is believed to be the 358 missile
02:33Also known as the SA-67
02:36And this thing is seriously sneaky
02:39It's not your average surface-to-air missile
02:41It's a weird mash-up
02:43Half kamikaze drone, half missile
02:46It flies super-slow and just loiters around a specific area
02:50Flying in a figure-eight pattern
02:52It has its own optical and heat sensors built right in
02:56It basically just hangs out and waits
02:58And the second it catches the heat of a jet, it pounces
03:02The craziest thing is that the 358 can be guided by a network of infrared sensors on the ground
03:08But hold up
03:09Just because there was no radar warning
03:11doesn't mean the F-35 is a sitting duck when a missile is launched
03:15This jet is packed with a super-advanced distributed aperture system
03:20Or DAS
03:22It's got six infrared cameras that give the pilot a full 360-degree view around the plane
03:29The second that 358 missile hit the gas and its rocket motor started giving off heat
03:34The DAS caught it and instantly give a warning alarm in the pilot's headset
03:39Now the pilot only has seconds to react
03:41To break the missile's lock
03:43The pilot yanks the jet into high-G turns to confuse it
03:47At the same time, the jet starts pumping out flares
03:50The whole point is to trick the missile's sensor
03:53So it ditches the jet and chases those glowing flares instead
03:57And it worked
03:58The 358 missile falls for the flares
04:01It still flies incredibly close to the jet
04:03The moment the missile senses it's super close to the target
04:07Inside its lethal radius
04:09It just blows up mid-air
04:11The shockwave and high-speed shrapnel from that blast shred the F-35
04:16It completely strips away the stealth coating and wrecks the flight control systems
04:21It wasn't a direct hit that turned the jet into a fireball
04:24And that's exactly why, even with massive damage
04:28The pilot managed to pull off a safe emergency landing
04:31Iran proved that you don't need a billion-dollar radar
04:35To bring down America's most advanced jet
04:37So guys, what's your take on how modern warfare is shifting?
04:41Does the U.S. need to completely rethink its playbook now?
04:45Let me know your thoughts down in the comments
04:47Here at Ruby 3D, we're always bringing you these deep-dive, heavily-researched breakdowns
04:53So don't forget to smash that like button and subscribe to the channel so you don't miss out
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