Rebel forces in Yemen have shot down a government Su-22 Soviet-built ground-attack aircraft not far from the capital Sanaa, local tribal sources were quoted as saying by world media on Wednesday.
"Fighters shot down the plane with the help of air defense weapons in the Arkhab district," a source told AFP.
The pilot succeeded in ejecting from his aircraft, another source told the agency.
The country's defense minister confirmed the loss of the warplane, China's Xinhua agency said.
The Yemeni air force has been bombing rebel tribes in the area in the last week, to suppress an uprising against President Ali Abdallah Saleh.
The tribesmen are allied to a dissident general, Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar.
Yemen has rocked by an uprising against President Saleh since February.