The US has sent an F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet to the Persian Gulf to deter Iran, which destroyed three J-21 Jastreb jets in one battle

The US is building up its forces in the Persian Gulf, where Iran has recently been making attempts to seize civilian ships. As it became known, the US F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet is operating in the region, which managed to destroy three enemies at once in one battle.

Here's What We Know

Over the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran recently shelled and attempted to seize two oil tankers, a US fourth-generation F-16 fighter jet with the flight number 2137 and three green stars on its hull was flying. The photos were released by the US Department of Defence. The aircraft arrived in the region from Aviano Air Base, Italy.

The presence of three stars testifies to one of the most impressive achievements of the US military aviation in several decades. We are talking about the destruction of three enemy aircraft in a single battle. It happened during a NATO mission over Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994.

According to the US Air Force, it was the first such incident since the Korean War. On 28 February 1994, Captain C. Robert Gordon Wright was able to shoot down three Serbian J-21 Jastreb fighters as part of Operation Deny Flight to provide an unmanned zone during the conflict in the Balkans. The F-16 used one AIM-120 AMRAAM and two AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.

In recent years, U.S. aircraft have not engaged in air duels. The last time the Americans destroyed an enemy manned aircraft was six years ago. This happened in 2017, when an F/A-18 Super Hornet shot down a Su-22 fighter jet. Before that, such a thing had happened all the way back in 1999.

Source: Air & Space Forces Magazine