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

U.S. military fighter jets have been struck one after another by Iran!

As of April 3 local time, two U.S. military aircraft were shot down by Iran, and another two “Black Hawk” helicopters were hit by Iranian fire.

That day, a spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Khatam al-Anbiya Central Command said Iran’s armed forces stated that U.S. aircraft were shot down over Iran by a newly developed advanced air defense system. The air defense system is operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and is under the control of the country’s integrated national air defense network.

At the same time, affected by the continuous consumption of weapons stockpiles due to Iran’s ongoing conflict, the United States may delay delivery of about 400 “Tomahawk” cruise missiles ordered by Japan.

Let’s look at the detailed report!

Iran: It used a new weapon

According to CCTV International News reports, on April 3 local time, a spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces’ Khatam al-Anbiya Central Command said that after the U.S. released false claims that “Iran’s air defense system had been completely destroyed,” U.S. aircraft were shot down over Iran by a newly developed advanced air defense system. The air defense system is operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and is under the control of the country’s integrated national air defense network.

That day, a U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter crashed in Iran. The U.S. then deployed multiple military aircraft to search and rescue two crew members in Iran; one has already been found. According to reports by U.S. media, in another incident that occurred on the same day, a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft was also hit by Iran, and the pilot ejected to escape. The two “Black Hawk” helicopters involved in the mission to search for the U.S. F-15E fighter that crashed 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 doesn’t happen.” After that, he quickly ended the call.

This is the first time that U.S. military fighter jets have been shot down within Iran since the U.S. and Israel launched large-scale military action against Iran on February 28. Iran is offering a reward for the capture of the unidentified pilot.

Some U.S. media outlets pointed out that the U.S. lost two fighter jets within a single day—still less than 48 hours after Trump claimed in a nationwide television address that the military action against Iran had achieved “rapid, decisive, and overwhelming victory.”

The chairman of Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly, Kalibaf, wrote on social media on April 3, saying it was ironic that a U.S. fighter jet was shot down by Iran. Kalibaf said that after the enemy claimed “37 consecutive times of defeating Iran,” this war launched by the United States and Israel—“smug yet with no strategy”—has now been downgraded from aiming for “regime change” to “Hey! Who can find our pilot?”

In a statement, the public relations department of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that Iran’s air defense system shot down a U.S. F-35 fighter jet in the central airspace of the country on that day. U.S. media reported that Iranian media published a photo of a pilot’s ejection seat that had landed on the ground and was damaged. Military analysts inferred on that basis that this was an F-15E fighter jet.

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

On April 4, a media office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, said that debris produced when an air defense system intercepted the exterior facade of the Oracle company building in Dubai Internet City struck the building, causing minor damage, with no injuries.

“Tomahawk” missiles may be delivered late

According to sources familiar with the matter who told U.S. media, due to the continuous consumption of U.S. weapons stockpiles by the Iran conflict, about 400 “Tomahawk” cruise missiles that Japan previously ordered from the U.S. may be delayed in being delivered and completed.

According to Xinhua News Agency, citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported on April 3 that the U.S. side has notified Japan that delivery of the “Tomahawk” cruise missile order—fully to be delivered by March 2028—may be delayed.

Japan and the United States signed a military sales contract in 2024, purchasing about 400 “Tomahawk” cruise missiles, with a contract value as high as $2.35 billion. In March this year, Japan’s defense minister, Yasukazu Koizumi, said the “Tomahawk” cruise missiles have begun delivery to the Japan Self-Defense Forces.

According to sources familiar with the matter, before launching military action against Iran, the U.S. inventory contained a total of about 4,000 “Tomahawk” cruise missiles of various models. In 2025, defense contractor Raytheon produced about 100 new “Tomahawk” missiles and, at the same time, upgraded about 240 older “Tomahawk” missiles to the latest standard.

As Bloomberg put it, the delay in this order is directly linked to the consumption of U.S. military operations in the Middle East. The sources familiar with the matter estimate that the number of missiles the U.S. has used so far in this conflict is already equivalent to more than two years of production.

In addition, according to media outlets including the U.S. National Security Magazine, during the first three days of the military action against Iran, the U.S. fired more than 400 sea-based “Tomahawk” cruise missiles, while in some cases the U.S. government purchases only 90 to 100 “Tomahawk” missiles per year.

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

Based on the budget documents, about $1.15 trillion is earmarked for discretionary spending, and at least $350 billion will be allocated through a budget coordination mechanism to expand the defense industrial base, against the backdrop of the ongoing escalation of the military conflict involving Iran. Meanwhile, the government plans to cut $73 billion in non-defense spending.

In terms of specific spending directions, the budget includes increasing key munitions stockpiles, accelerating progress on the “Iron Dome” missile defense system proposed by the Trump administration, and stepping up investment in key mineral resources and domestic supply chains. In addition, the budget also allocates about $65.8 billion for shipbuilding projects, and proposes plans to build 41 vessels—described as the largest scale of shipbuilding demand since the Roosevelt era.

The budget documents point out that the scale of this defense spending is “close to the level of historic increases seen before World War II,” aiming to address the current global security threat environment and improve 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 fighter jets, a substantial increase from the 47 jets requested in the previous fiscal year. The F-35 program is the largest current defense procurement program in the United States; the increase in this budget is viewed as an important measure to strengthen air combat capabilities under the current security situation.

（Source: China Securities Journal）