Just now! Iran announces: using new weapons! U.S. military reveals big news!

U.S. Air Force fighter jets are repeatedly hit by Iran!

On April 3, local time, two U.S. Air Force aircraft were shot down by Iran, while another two “Black Hawk” helicopters were hit by Iranian fire.

That day, the spokesperson of the Iranian Armed Forces Hatem Anbiya Central Command stated that the U.S. aircraft were shot down by Iran’s newly developed advanced air defense system. This air defense system is operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and is under the control of the national integrated air defense network.

Meanwhile, due to the ongoing conflict in Iran continuing to consume the weapons inventory, the U.S. may delay delivery of about 400 “Tomahawk” missiles that Japan ordered.

Let’s look at the detailed report!

Iran: Used new weapons

According to CCTV International News, on April 3, local time, the spokesperson of the Iranian Armed Forces Hatem Anbiya Central Command said that after the United States released the false claim that Iran’s air defense system had been completely destroyed, U.S. aircraft were shot down in Iran by the newly developed advanced air defense system. This air defense system is operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and is under the control of the national integrated air defense network.

That day, a U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter crashed in Iran. The U.S. then deployed multiple aircraft to conduct rescue operations for the two crew members in Iran; one of them has already been found. According to reports by U.S. media, in another incident that same day, a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft was also hit by Iran, and the pilot ejected and escaped. Two “Black Hawk” helicopters tasked with searching for the downed U.S. F-15E in Iran encountered Iranian fire; although they were hit, they ultimately succeeded in withdrawing from Iranian airspace.

On April 3, U.S. President Trump briefly accepted a telephone interview with the British newspaper The Independent. When asked how the U.S. would respond if the pilot were captured or harmed in Iran, Trump said: “I can’t say, because—we hope that situation won’t happen.” After that, he quickly ended the call.

This marks the first time since Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel launched a large-scale military action against Iran, that a U.S. fighter jet was shot down within Iran. Iran is offering a reward for the capture of the missing pilot.

Some U.S. media outlets noted that the loss of two U.S. aircraft within one day is still less than 48 hours after Trump claimed in a nationwide televised address that the military actions against Iran had achieved “rapid, decisive, overwhelming victory.”

On April 3, the chairman of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, Kalibaf, posted on social media saying it was ironic that a U.S. fighter jet was shot down by Iran. Kalibaf said that after the enemy claimed it had “defeated Iran 37 times in a row,” this war launched by the United States and Israel—“smart-looking but strategically meaningless”—has now downgraded from an attempt at “regime change” to “Hey! Who can find our pilot?”

A statement released by the public relations department of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that on that day, Iran’s air defense system shot down a U.S. F-35 fighter in the airspace over the country’s central region. U.S. media reported that Iranian media published a photo of the pilot’s ejection seat, which was lying on the ground and already damaged. Based on this, military analysts judged that it was an F-15E fighter.

Regarding the latest developments in Iran’s situation, according to multiple Iranian media outlets including the Tasnim News Agency, on April 4, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps appointed Hussein Moheb as the new spokesperson, replacing Naini, who was killed in the U.S. and Israel attacks on March 20.

A media office in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates said on April 4 that debris generated by the interception of an air defense system that hit the exterior facade of the Oracle Company building in Dubai Internet City struck the building, causing minor damage but no casualties.

“Tomahawk” missiles may be delivered late

A source told U.S. media that due to the ongoing conflict in Iran continuing to consume the U.S. military’s weapons stockpile, the delivery of around 400 “Tomahawk” cruise missiles previously ordered by Japan from the United States may be delayed indefinitely.

According to a report by Xinhua News Agency, on April 3, Bloomberg cited a source stating that the U.S. side has informed Japan that it may delay delivery of the “Tomahawk” cruise missile order, which is expected to be fully delivered by March 2028.

Japan and the United States signed a military sales contract in 2024, ordering about 400 “Tomahawk” cruise missiles, with a contract value of as much as $2.35 billion. This March, Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Koizumi said that “Tomahawk” cruise missiles have begun deliveries to Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.

A source revealed that before the U.S. launched military action against Iran, the U.S. inventory contained a total of about 4,000 “Tomahawk” cruise missiles of various models. In 2025, the U.S. defense contractor Raytheon produced about 100 new “Tomahawk” missiles, while upgrading about 240 older “Tomahawk” missiles to the latest standard.

According to Bloomberg, the delay in fulfilling this order is directly related to the depletion caused by U.S. military operations in the Middle East. The source further estimated that the number of missiles consumed by the U.S. so far in this conflict is already equivalent to more than two years’ worth of production.

Meanwhile, according to media reports including the U.S. “National Security Journal,” during the first three days of the military action against Iran, the U.S. fired more than 400 sea-based “Tomahawk” cruise missiles, while the U.S. government sometimes purchases only 90 to 100 “Tomahawk” missiles in a year.

According to a report by CCTV News, on April 3, local time, the White House formally submitted to Congress a budget proposal for fiscal year 2027. The defense budget totals as much as $1.5 trillion, an increase of about $445 billion over the previous fiscal year, with a significant rise.

Under the budget documents, about $1.15 trillion is listed as discretionary spending, and at least another $350 billion would be投入 through budget coordination mechanisms for expanding the defense industrial base, against a backdrop of continued escalation of the military conflict surrounding Iran. At the same time, the government plans to cut $73 billion in non-defense spending.

In terms of specific spending directions, the budget includes increasing key ammunition stockpiles, accelerating the implementation of the “Gumun” missile defense system proposed by the Trump administration, and stepping up investment in key mineral resources and domestic supply chains. In addition, the budget allocates about $65.8 billion for shipbuilding projects and proposes a plan to build 41 vessels, described as the largest shipbuilding demand since the Roosevelt era.

The budget documents point out that the scale of this defense spending is “close to the historic growth level seen before World War II,” aiming to respond to the current global security threat environment and to enhance the readiness and combat capabilities of the U.S. military.

The budget documents show that the U.S. Department of Defense plans to procure 85 Lockheed Martin F-35 fighters, a substantial increase from the 47 aircraft requested in the previous fiscal year. The F-35 program is currently the largest defense procurement project by scale in the United States; the increase in this budget is viewed as an important move to strengthen air combat capability under the current security situation.

（Source: Qianshang China）