U.S. F-15E Shot Down Over Iran as Second Aircraft Lost in Persian Gulf

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran on Friday, marking the first confirmed loss of an American fighter aircraft over Iranian territory since Operation Epic Fury began more than a month ago, as Pentagon officials confirmed a frantic search and rescue mission recovered one crew member while efforts continue to locate a second aviator.

One F-15E crew member was rescued, and a search was underway for a second after the fighter jet went down over Iran, a U.S. official said on Friday and was reported by NBC News, while the two-seater aircraft appears to have been shot down by Iran.

The U.S. military was scrambling to find the second aviator after a regional governor offered a bounty for the F-15’s crew.

Second Aircraft Down in Strait of Hormuz

Compounding the crisis, The New York Times is reporting that an A-10 Warthog close support jet also crashed in the Persian Gulf region on Friday. The pilot was safely rescued, the Times stated, citing two anonymous officials. The A‑10 Warthog crashed near the Strait of Hormuz around the same time that an F‑15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iranian territory.

The near-simultaneous loss of two American aircraft represents a significant escalation in the conflict and raises questions about Iran’s remaining air defense capabilities despite weeks of intensive U.S. and Israeli strikes.

Iranian Claims and Photographic Evidence

Iran’s media published photos alongside claims from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that it had shot down the aircraft, though initial Iranian reports incorrectly identified the downed aircraft as an F-35 stealth fighter rather than the twin-engine F-15E Strike Eagle. Although Iranian media claimed an F-35 has been shot down, images from the crash site clearly show debris belonging to an F-15E Strike Eagle, according to analysts.

The Iranians have found the Advanced Concept Ejection Seat II (ACES II) ejection seat system employed in the U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet that crashed in Iran this morning, confirming the aircraft type and indicating both crew members successfully ejected.

Search and Rescue Operations

US forces have conducted a search and rescue mission since the jet was shot down, and have since found one of the crew members alive, according to sources. U.S. special forces located one of the crew members and rescued him on Iranian territory, while operations continue for the second missing aviator.

Videos also continue to emerge claiming to show HC-130Js operating over Iran at low levels. In its official factsheet, the Air Force stresses that HC-130J crews “normally fly at night, at low to medium altitude levels in contested or sensitive environments, both over land or overwater,” indicating the scale of the rescue effort penetrating deep into Iranian airspace.

An Israeli official said Israel cancelled planned strikes in Iran so as not to hamper the search and rescue efforts, demonstrating the high priority placed on recovering the missing crew member.

Iranian Bounty and Manhunt

Iranian authorities have mobilized civilian populations to assist in locating the missing American aviator. A regional governor in Iran’s southwest had issued a public plea for locals to find those on board the jet and promised a reward, according to official and semi-official Iranian news organizations; a representative of merchants and businesses was reportedly offering the equivalent of $60,000 for the capture of the Americans.

Iran has been unsuccessful in its search for the missing crew, Iranian state news media Tasnim agency said, adding that local traders in the southwestern Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province were offering a reward of 10 billion tomans ($76,000) for anyone who finds the crew alive.

Strategic Implications and Presidential Briefing

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump had been briefed on the incident — the latest dramatic development in the war, now more than a month old.

The loss comes as President Donald Trump suggests the U.S. will wrap up its mission in two to three weeks, raising questions about the timeline for conflict resolution. It will also add to doubts over American-Israeli claims of dominance over Iran’s skies. The joint campaign has focused intensely on destroying and degrading Iran’s missile defenses, but Tehran has retained the capability to hit back across the region.

Operation Epic Fury Casualties Mount

A total of 13 U.S. service members have been killed during combat actions against Iran. As of March 31, 348 U.S. personnel have been wounded, Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, U.S. Central Command spokesperson, told DefenseScoop.

The F-15E loss adds to previous aircraft casualties during Operation Epic Fury. If confirmed, this would be the fourth F-15E lost by the U.S. Air Force since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury. In fact, as already mentioned, a Kuwait Air Force F/A-18 Hornet shot down over Kuwait three U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles that were returning from a combat mission, in a pretty unusual friendly fire incident, on Mar. 2, 2026

Aircraft and Deployment Details

The downed F-15E was likely operating from RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom, part of the 494th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron deployed to support Middle East operations.

A total of twelve F-15E Strike Eagles, backed up by two air spares, departed from RAF Lakenheath in the UK with tanker support, heading towards the Middle East. Fighter jets in Iran, like the aircraft shot down on Friday, are utilized for bombing missions, CBS News reported.

“There’s not a lot of air-to-air combat to be had right now,” national security analyst Aaron MacLean told the network. “So, this aircraft would have been prosecuting targets in Iran or participating broadly in some sort of mission to strike targets on the ground in Iran.”

A-10 Operations Context

The reported A-10 Warthog incident occurs amid expanded deployment of the Cold War-era aircraft to the region. About a dozen A-10s are already in the Middle East participating in Operation Epic Fury. The A-10s have been patrolling the Strait of Hormuz and have been conducting attacks against Iraqi militia groups.

“The A-10 Warthog is now engaged across the southern flank, targeting fast-attack watercraft in the Strait of Hormuz,” Air Force Gen. Dan Caine said during a Pentagon briefing on the operation, highlighting the aircraft’s maritime interdiction role.

Iranian Air Defense Capabilities

A spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central headquarters said today that an F-35 was brought down over the central part of the country by a new type of air defense system operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), with little chance the pilot survived, Reuters reports, though the aircraft was actually an F-15E with two crew members who both ejected.

The successful downing of the F-15E demonstrates that despite weeks of intensive strikes, Iran still retains functional air defense systems capable of engaging American aircraft operating at medium to high altitudes.

Broader Regional Impact

Iran also launched broader attacks across the Middle East on Friday as it continued to pressure Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbors, despite U.S. and Israeli assertions that Iran’s military capabilities have been largely degraded.

Tehran’s strikes on regional energy infrastructure and its control over the Strait of Hormuz — a key waterway through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas passes in peacetime — have rattled global markets, driven up oil prices, and raised concerns about higher costs for basic goods.

Rescue Mission Complications

The Iranian Mehr News Agency reports that a U.S. helicopter involved in the rescue effort was hit by some kind of Iranian projectile. It is unclear if the helicopter was brought down or if it is the same example that was reported as “attacked by air defense near the border and fled the scene,” though the authenticity of these claims remains unverified.

The Friday incidents mark a significant escalation in Operation Epic Fury and underscore the continued risks facing American forces operating in contested Iranian airspace despite claims of air superiority. The successful rescue of one crew member demonstrates U.S. combat search and rescue capabilities, while the ongoing search for the second F-15E crew member highlights the dangerous reality of operations deep within hostile territory.

As President Trump considers next steps in the conflict, the loss of two aircraft in a single day may influence both tactical and strategic decisions regarding the scope and duration of Operation Epic Fury.