landing

The woman jumped out of her seat as soon as the plane hit the tarmac and ignored flight crew instructions to return to her seat while the seatbelt sign was still on

A pilot has been praised as a “hero” for ridiculing an entitled woman who rushed down the aisle in an attempt to be the first passenger off the aircraft. A fellow traveller recounted how the woman leapt from her seat the moment the plane touched down and bolted towards the exit.

Despite the seatbelt sign remaining illuminated, she disregarded the cabin crew’s requests to return to her seat until the aircraft had come to a complete stop. Recounting the incident on Reddit, the passenger explained: “The woman in the back unbuckled and darted to the front of the plane to get off first.

“She did not make any eye contact and felt that she was special. I’m talking about going from the very last seat on the plane, down the whole row, and past first class, basically standing at the little kitchen thing in the front.

“The seat belt sign was still on and we were still rolling down the runway. The flight crew had asked her to return to her seat until we reached the gate but she was not even responding.”

The passenger went on to describe how everyone aboard shifted their focus to the woman following the gruelling eight-hour journey. But that’s when the pilot chose to intervene personally.

“Suddenly the captain announced we had a special guest onboard and he would be coming out to greet them after we were settled at the gate,” they continued.

“The woman stood there awkwardly until we did the whole rolling into the gate thing, and whatever planes do when they land, for about 15 to 20 minutes.”

They went on: “Everyone sat there waiting to see what the captain was talking about. Eventually, the captain came out and asked the lady to please move back a little to get to his special guest, then a little more, then a little more.

“He was looking from row to row trying to find a specific person. Everyone is watching and looking around to see who it could be. “

The pilot kept ushering her back one row at a time until she reached the very back of the plane.

Finally, as they approached the rear of the plane he asked her to sit for a second while he grabbed the intercom at the rear of the plane.

The person recalled: “The pilot said: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to announce our special guest sitting in seat 42C. Let’s give her a round of applause’. The whole plane went wild with laughter and applause. I loved every moment of that.”

Responding to the pilot’s power move, one user remarked: “That pilot is a hero to the people.”

Another user added: “I was hoping that the special guest was a federal marshal coming onboard to arrest the woman for refusing to follow safety-related commands given by members of the flight crew.”

One passenger said: “Sometimes when a plane is late getting in there are people that have a connecting flight that will be very tight to make. They need to get off the plane quickly to have any chance at their connection.

“The best way to handle that is to inform the stewardess and they can make a general announcement. Of course, sometimes people ignore that announcement and block the aisle for those people anyway.”

New images have emerged that appear to show the destroyed special operations C-130s (MC-130Js Commando IIs) at the forward improvised airfield in Iran. The austere operating location acted as a hub (and forward arming and refueling point or FARP) for the rescue mission of the downed F-15E Weapon System Officer. You can read our latest coverage on the rescue here. It has been reported that the two C-130s were demolished in place as they were incapable of departing, with three more aircraft coming in and extracting the special operations force. Amongst this wreckage appears to be two burned-out wrecks of MH-6/AH-6 Little Birds of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, better known as the Night Stalkers.

As is typically the case, the images of the crash site look authentic after a cursory examination, but that could change in the future.

These helicopters, if in AH-6 configuration, were likely delivered to the landing site to provide close air support and force protection for the larger force deployed there. Reports now state that there may not have been a major firefight on the ground as originally reported, but Iranians were fired upon from the air when trying to approach the base. Video supposedly showing one of these engagements does look like the firing aircraft could be an AH-6.

The Little Birds could have also been used to help find and support the extraction of the pilot if in MH-6 configuration. Little Birds can be configured in the AH-6 attack and MH-6 assault configurations.

The force protection role for exactly this kind of mission is a key one for the AH-6. Night Stalker AH-6 crews train heavily for it. The Little Birds can be rapidly delivered to forward locations aboard aircraft as small as a C-130, but it’s their ability to be rolled out and flying in mere minutes that suits them so well for this mission set. The MC-130 can act as transport, weapons hauler and a gas station on the ground for the Little Birds.

You can read all about the Little Bird’s ability to be rapidly deployed virtually anywhere in our past feature linked here.

The Little Birds could possibly have flown directly to the site, and then refueled from MC-130J on the ground and operated out of the makeshift base, although the range on these aircraft is limited, even with auxiliary fuel tanks. Even flying from Kuwait or a commercial ship in the northern Persian Gulf, a direct flight over Iranian airspace would have been very risky and required much of the Little Bird’s range. Overall, this option seems very likely.

As to why the Little Birds were destroyed in place, that isn’t clear. Extracting the force was likely done in a big hurry, especially due to the immobilization of two C-130s. If the Little Birds flew in aboard them, there may have been no time (or room) to load them onto the replacement aircraft. They could have also been damaged by enemy fire. If they flew in directly themselves, the mission may not have gone as planned and they could not be fueled while on the ground by the stricken MC-130s. There are many possibilities.

Destroying stranded special operations aircraft is absolutely critical as they are packed with sensitive sensors, communications, defensive systems and more.

Regardless, the inclusion of the Little Birds is another indication of just how complex this mission, which was thrown together in just a matter of hours, was. It’s also a reminder of just how versatile and forward deployable the MH/AH-6s truly are.

UPDATE: 6:02 AM PDT—

The landing zone has been geolocated to just south of Isfahan. This puts it about 200 miles from the Iranian coastline and roughly 230 miles from a land border. It is very unlikely the Little Birds made this trip on their own (can rule it out almost entirely) beyond the tactical issues with doing so.

A U.S. Air Force F-35A fighter was forced to divert from a combat mission over Iran and make an emergency landing at an undisclosed U.S. airbase in the Middle East, the Pentagon has confirmed to TWZ. At this stage, details of the incident are very scarce, but there are meanwhile unconfirmed reports, and a video, suggesting that the jet was struck by Iranian fire. The video in question, if true, indicates a system was used that we have repeatedly highlighted as a top threat to allied aircraft, including stealthy ones, operating over Iran.

Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, told TWZ that the F-35 was “flying a combat mission over Iran” when it was forced to make an emergency landing.

“The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition,” Hawkins added. “This incident is under investigation.”

The U.S. Air Force has deployed F-35As from multiple units in support of Operation Epic Fury, while carrier-capable F-35C versions from the U.S. Marine Corps have been operating from the supercarrier USS Abraham Lincoln. Hawkins confirmed to us that a U.S. Air Force jet was involved.

The Israeli Air Force additionally operates a version of the jet, the F-35I Adir, which has also been used in combat against Iran.

According to a report from CNN, which cites two unnamed sources familiar with the matter, it is thought that the F-35 may have been hit by Iranian fire.

Hawkins declined to comment to TWZ about whether the aircraft was hit by hostile fire.

There have been reports that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released the video below, which claims to show the F-35 being hit over Iran, as seen through a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) system, but this cannot be independently verified.

Iran’s IRGC released a footage reportedly showing U.S. F-35 jet being hit over Iran.

Note that we can’t independently confirm the authenticity of the footage. pic.twitter.com/9N0ePd2LLf

— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 19, 2026

As far as we know, there have been no previous confirmed incidents of U.S. aircraft having been struck by Iranian air defenses since the conflict began at the end of last month. Three U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles were lost, but these fell to Kuwaiti friendly fire in an incident that remains puzzling. At the same time, some kind of friendly-fire incident cannot be ruled out on this occasion, too.

Meanwhile, a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker that was taking part in Epic Fury crashed in Iraq, for reasons that remain unclear.

As we have discussed in our previous reporting, the skies of the Middle East are far from completely safe for U.S. and Israeli air operations.

An Israeli Air Force fighter was “almost shot down” over Iran, early on in the conflict, The Times of Israel has reported, citing the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

According to the IDF, an attempt was made to shoot down the jet, and it was “close to being hit.”

The Israeli military further claims that the attempted shootdown “failed due to the alertness and professionalism of the pilot,” the military says, adding that the sortie “was completed successfully.”

For all the defense-suppression missions that have been flown, Iran still possesses road-mobile air defenses as well as more exotic types that can pop up virtually anywhere and give aircrews very little time to react. These systems can be easily hidden and will remain a threat on the battlefield long after static air defenses are destroyed. Beyond that, there are man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), which, while less of a menace in terms of outright performance and engagement envelopes, are impossible to entirely remove from the battlespace.

The reality is that, even for the F-35, there are risks, especially as the air campaign moves more toward direct attacks, bringing aircraft closer to potential threats. While the U.S. has claimed air supremacy over Iran, it certainly does not yet possess it across the entire country.

Declarations of air superiority are relative. Iran has road mobile air defenses that can hide and pop up out of nowhere. They have exotic stuff like loitering SAMs too. Moving fighters in for direct attacks doesn’t mean they can operate freely without threat, especially in some…

— Tyler Rogoway (@Aviation_Intel) March 5, 2026

As we pointed out in our recent analysis:

Moving to a direct attack-focused campaign comes with new risks. This is especially true when it comes to facing road-mobile air defenses and more exotic types that can pop up virtually anywhere and give aircrews very little time to react. These systems can be hidden pretty much anywhere and will be present on the battlefield long after fixed air defenses are completely destroyed. Electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) surface-to-air missile systems are especially vexing, as U.S. fourth-generation fighter aircraft would have no idea they were being attacked until they are struck, unless they visibly see the missile launch and head their way. These aircraft lack missile approach warning systems. The F-22 and F-35 benefit from different versions of this capability. EO/IR SAM systems are also not affected by radiofrequency jamming, unless they use a radar for initial targeting.

Speaking today, Gen. Dan ​Caine, ​the ⁠chairman of the Joint ​Chiefs of ​Staff, ⁠told reporters: “We’re flying further to the east now and penetrating deeper into Iranian airspace to hunt and kill one-way attack drone garrisons, destroying Iran’s ability to project power outside of its borders.”

Flying further east in Iran brings more threats, compared to the more-sanitized airspace in the west.

Again, as we warned in the past:

Underestimating Iran’s ability to target and destroy coalition aircraft would be a perilous move. Even the improvised systems cobbled together by Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, as well as their hodgepodge of other air defenses, have taken their toll on advanced fighter aircraft operated by Gulf Arab states and challenged even the most advanced fighters in the U.S. inventory. Iran’s capabilities, even in a deeply degraded state, far exceed those of the Houthis.

U.S.-operated F-35s have, at times, run the gauntlet against the relatively primitive air defense threat offered by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Iran.

Last year, a U.S. official told TWZ that one of the stealth fighters had to take evasive maneuvers to avoid being hit by Houthi surface-to-air missiles. “They got close enough that the [F-35] had to maneuver,” the official said. Meanwhile, an Air Force F-16 pilot was awarded the Silver Star Medal after dodging multiple surface-to-air missiles during operations against the Houthi rebels. 

In fact, as you can read about here, the particular nature of Houthi air defenses appears to have prompted an increase in the use of stealthy aircraft like the F-35, in turn, exposing them to unconventional threats. If the same thing may now have happened in Iran, it should hardly come as a surprise.

Provided that the published video of the claimed shootdown is the real deal, that would point to the real possibility that the jet was targeted by a passive sensor, the same kind we repeatedly warned about. The footage looks very similar to that showing Houthi air defense equipment of this kind in action. As we noted in our analysis posted earlier in this story, passive systems can give off no radio emissions, making them especially hazardous to aircrew.

🇾🇪🇺🇸 | The Houthis show footage from the shootdown of another U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper UCAV.

If I’m not mistaken, that would be the 20th MQ-9 downed by the Houthis from Yemen. pic.twitter.com/SCwRVLSs7s

— Status-6 (War & Military News) (@Archer83Able) April 18, 2025

It should be recalled that, at this point, we are still awaiting confirmation on exactly what led the F-35A to declare an emergency. TWZ continues to reach out to CENTCOM for more details about the incident.

We will continue to update this developing story.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

Spotters in Greece have caught an especially good look at what very much appears to be a stealthy, long-range, high-altitude (HALE) intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance drone commonly referred to as the RQ-180, or an evolution of that design.

Pictures of the dark-colored, flying-wing type aircraft landing at Larissa National Airport, also known as Larissa Air Base, situated in the Greek city of the same name, were published earlier today by local news outlet onlarissa.gr.

“Those who were in the area near the 110th Fighter Wing [technically the 110th Combat Wing] in Larissa at the end of last week were left speechless when they saw an impressive plane in the sky, completely different in shape and appearance from everything we see daily in politics and the military air force,” according to a machine translation of onlarissa.gr’s piece, which misidentifies the aircraft as a B-2 bomber. “According to more recent information from military sources, this [aircraft] … reportedly parked at the Larissa military airport due to a breakdown and will remain there until it is repaired.”

TWZ cannot immediately confirm any of these latter details, but we have reached out to U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) and the Pentagon for more information.

What is clear is that this is not a B-2, which has a very distinctive saw-tooth trailing edge that is not visible here, among other features. In fact, the overall planform is highly reminiscent of the new B-21 Raider stealth bomber from Northrop Grumman, as well as past sightings of aircraft believed to be RQ-180s or progenitors of that design. The RQ-180 is widely understood to be a Northrop Grumman product, as well, and very likely played a significant role in risk reduction efforts as part of the development of the B-21, as we have posited for years.

There are also some very rough similarities to sightings of what is believed to be an Israeli drone called the RA-01, but with some distinct differences. The RA-01 shares a similar planform, but is a more svelte design that would be significantly smaller than what we are seeing here. Furthermore, it makes very little sense that an Israeli drone would be flying that far west for any reason. The American aircraft in question is likely quite large, sitting below the size of a B-21, but maybe by 25 percent, as a guess. It would be designed for extremely long-endurance, high altitude strategic reconnaissance missions.

B-21 Takeoff and Landing

The pictures from Larissa also offer a good look at the aircraft’s landing gear, which is very widely positioned. A gear configuration of that kind allows for the maximization of volume in between and underscores the sheer wingspan of the aircraft.

Whether the aircraft in question has been operating from Larissa, or simply diverted there due to an issue, is unknown. It is possible that it has been forward-deployed to the base, but still had to return to base unexpectedly, leading to it being spotted during the day rather than coming in discreetly at night.

Larissa is a Hellenic Air Force base, home to the 110th Combat Wing, which operates Block 52+ F-16C/D Viper fighters, as well as various types of drones. Since the late 2010s, the U.S. Air Force has also publicly used the base for MQ-9 Reaper drone operations over areas of Europe and Africa. That, in turn, has led to upgrades to Larissa’s infrastructure, especially along the south side of the base, where there are now hangars that could accommodate larger flying wing aircraft and that do not appear to be used to house MQ-9s.

By what we can surmise about the RQ-180 program, aircraft that are part of its lineage have likely been flying for roughly over a decade and a half. Yet in recent years, just as this platform was thought to be coming online in a grander operational sense, we have not seen the infrastructure that would be indicative of that. It’s even possible its scale has been reduced as the Pentagon looks to push its surveillance capabilities to space, and especially some of the kinds an ‘RQ-180’ could do.

Still, given that this aircraft is now likely a component of the Long Range Strike (LRS) family of systems, and will work in concert with and even possibly have some commonality with the B-21, it could share that same infrastructure and come online fully alongside the Raider in the next couple of years. That is if the program is still intended to be scaled-up as opposed to diverting funds to on-orbit surveillance capabilities.

Regardless, the aircraft has been spotted flying over secretive locales in America’s Southwest for many years now, with sightings over Area 51, and reports of it flying out of Palmdale and Edwards Air Force Base. A conflict with Iran would be a relevant fit for what it was designed to do, so it should be of no surprise that it is flying missions over the country, even if it still remains in something of a late developmental state.

In all of the years of the RQ-180’s rumored existence, multiple stealthy HALE drone designs have emerged in China, at least undergoing testing, and these are just the ones we know about.

We will have more analysis on all this in the near future.

Already, if nothing else, there are very strong signs that we’ve now gotten our best look ever at the drone referred to as the RQ-180 or a directly related design.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

BROOKS Nader has stripped off into a daring bubble outfit with her reality show star sisters after landing a part in the Baywatch reboot.

The family show, Love Thy Nader, follows the four Louisiana sisters as they trade their small-town roots for high fashion, high drama, and the hustle of New York City.

Brooks, Mary Holland, Grace Ann and Sarah Jane have now been snapped wearing incredibly sexy bubble ensembles.

Holding hands, they walked the streets of New York flashing their sensational abs.

The barely-there bubbles left little to the imagination as the telly stars smiled for the camera.

Blonde bombshell Brooks put on a leggy display as she twirled around nearly flashing her bum.

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The sisters wore slightly different versions of the tiny bubble outfits but wore matching nude stilettos.

Mary, Brooks and Grace were seen with bouncy curled locks while Sarah had her hair styled in a chic slick-back ponytail.

Brooks sizzled in the nearly-nude ensemble, which has certainly sent pulses racing.

This comes as the star has been announced as the latest actress to join the cast of Fox’s Baywatch reboot.

The Sport Illustrated model has already been compared to the original show’s standout Pamela Anderson.

Hulu star Brooks is joining the cast alongside Suits LA star Stephen Amell.

Stunning Brooks will play Selene, captain of the Zuma Beach lifeguards, who regularly butts heads with Stephen’s character, Hobie Buchannon, the son of Mitch, played by David Hasselhoff in the original series.

Selene and Mitch are set to clash over their drastically different approaches to the job.

Fans have gone crazy over Brooks casting as she becomes one of the latest stars destined to put on the famous red swimsuit.

They have likened the Love Thy Nader star to blonde beauty Pamela Anderson, given their similar career paths.

“So, they want Brooks to be the next Pamela Anderson but there’s only one Pam,” one Instagram user said about the casting.