Viral Video: U.S. Navy Super Hornet Escapes Iranian Missile Strike During Low-Level Run | WATCH
U.S. Central Command has labeled Iranian claims of a "direct hit" on a Navy F/A-18 as false. While viral footage shows a close MANPADS engagement over Chabahar, independent analysis confirms the jet remained airworthy and completed its mission.
Viral footage circulating on social media shows a U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet conducting low-level strafing runs with its 20mm M61 Vulcan cannon over Iran’s southeastern port city of Chabahar, while separate video appears to capture a heat-seeking missile from an Iranian man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) detonating near the aircraft’s tail section.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that its forces successfully struck the American fighter jet during ongoing hostilities linked to Operation Epic Fury. Iranian state media and IRGC statements described the engagement as a direct hit by an “advanced air defense system,” asserting the aircraft crashed into the Indian Ocean.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) immediately pushed back, calling the Iranian claim false. “No U.S. fighter aircraft have been shot down by Iran,” CENTCOM stated on X. The command has not confirmed any aircraft damage from the incident.
Independent analysis of the widely shared videos indicates a close call rather than a confirmed kill. The missile, believed to be a shoulder-fired MANPADS operated by IRGC forces, detonated in proximity to the low-flying Super Hornet, producing a visible flash and smoke trail behind the jet’s tail. The aircraft continued flying and completed its mission with no visible structural damage or loss of control.
Military observers note that the Super Hornets, operating from the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, have been conducting unusually low-altitude gun runs over Iranian coastal targets in recent days after higher-tier Iranian air defenses were reportedly suppressed. Critics and analysts have described the tactics as highly effective for precision strikes on ground positions but increasingly risky against short-range MANPADS threats.
X analyst Visioner pointed out:
It should be noted that, likely due to a growing sense of impunity, the fighter’s crew appears to be operating with excessive boldness, conducting extremely low-altitude strafing runs with the cannon.