US F-15E Shot Down Over Iran, Search Underway for Crew

A US fighter jet has been confirmed lost over Iran, marking the first such incident inside Iranian territory since the beginning of the conflict. Reports from both American and Iranian sources indicate that an F-15E aircraft was shot down, triggering an urgent search-and-rescue operation for its two crew members.

Initial claims from Iranian state media suggested that an F-35 had been downed by a newly deployed air defense system over central Iran, with early speculation that the pilot may have been killed. However, analysis by aviation specialists later identified the wreckage as belonging to an F-15E, reportedly from the US Air Force’s 494th squadron based in the United Kingdom. US officials, speaking off the record, subsequently confirmed the loss of the aircraft, although there has been no formal statement from the Pentagon.

Images and video footage released from Iran show debris, including a tail fin, while additional material appears to capture US aircraft engaged in search operations. A C-130 Hercules and HH-60 Pavehawk helicopters were seen flying at low altitude, at times conducting aerial refueling, suggesting an active combat search-and-rescue mission to locate and extract the crew.

Further indications point to the possibility that at least one of the pilots ejected. A photograph circulated online, reportedly linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, shows what appears to be an ejection seat consistent with those used in F-15E jets. Iranian media later reported that a pilot had been captured, contradicting earlier statements that suggested the crew had not survived.

At the same time, US Central Command had previously denied separate Iranian claims that another aircraft, an F-35, had been shot down near the Strait of Hormuz, insisting that all such aircraft were accounted for at that stage. The latest incident, however, has not yet been officially addressed by US military authorities.

Until now, no American fighter jets had been lost in combat over Iran during the five-week war, although three F-15Es were destroyed earlier in March in a friendly fire incident involving Kuwaiti air defenses. The conflict has nonetheless seen multiple losses and close calls. A US KC-135 refuelling aircraft crashed in Iraq on March 12 with all six crew members killed, while an E-3 Sentry surveillance aircraft was destroyed in a strike on a Saudi air base later in the month.

Iran has also downed several MQ-9 Reaper drones and damaged or destroyed other aircraft on the ground in the Gulf region. There have been near-misses as well, including an F-35 that was forced to make an emergency landing after sustaining damage during a mission, and an F/A-18 narrowly avoiding a surface-to-air missile strike.

Despite US claims of air superiority following strikes on Iranian air defenses, the latest loss highlights the continuing risks of operations over the country. According to available data, around 350 US service members have been wounded during the conflict, most of whom have since returned to duty. Thirteen fatalities have been reported, while several personnel remain seriously injured.