Iranian media claims the downing of an F-35 or F-15E, however the plane sort stays unconfirmed. Picture reveals an U.S. Air Drive F-15E. Photograph: X/@CENTCOM
A crew member from a U.S. fighter jet that was shot down over Iran on Friday (April 3, 2026) has been rescued by U.S. forces.
Axios and CBS Information, citing unidentified sources, reported that one of many two crew on the airplane had already been rescued by US particular forces however that the search was ongoing for the second crew member.
In line with The New York Instances and Wall Road Journal, the airplane was an F-15E fighter, which is crewed by a pilot and a weapons-systems officer within the again seat.
CNN additionally stated that evaluation of what Iranian media stated had been photographs of the wreckage confirmed an F-15, moderately than an F-35 stealth fighter, as claimed in some Iranian experiences.
U.S. media reported that U.S. President Donald Trump had been briefed on the scenario.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), answerable for army operations in West Asia, didn’t instantly reply to an AFP request for remark following what could be the primary recognized lack of a U.S. jet inside Iran since U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the warfare.
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“Army forces have launched a search operation to search out the American fighter pilot who was hit earlier in the present day,” Iran’s Fars information company reported.
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An area official tv station in southwestern Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province aired footage of what it stated was wreckage of the downed airplane, exhibiting a pile of twisted steel fragments behind a truck.
Google Maps picture locates Iran’s Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province.
It broadcast a message from provincial police urging the world’s nomadic peoples and villagers to hitch the army within the hunt for the crew of the plane which will have gone down within the province.
“Pricey and honourable folks of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, when you seize the enemy pilot or pilots alive and hand them over to the police and army forces, you’ll obtain a precious reward and bonus,” stated a reporter on the channel.
The incident is the primary report of a U.S. fighter jet being downed in Iranian territory since america and Israel launched its warfare on the Islamic Republic on February 28, 2026.
It was unclear what plane was concerned, with experiences referring to each an F35 and F-15E fighter jet.
The New York Instances quoted U.S. and Israeli officers confirming the Iranian claims to have shot down a jet, and different main American shops reported that U.S. forces had launched a rescue operation.
In line with a Western fighter pilot, within the occasion of ejection over hostile territory, “the very first thing to do is to cover and attempt to sign your place to your comrades”.
Pilots put on a fight vest containing a radio/GPS-coded beacon to transmit their place and talk with search groups, utilizing a system of code phrases for signalling, the pilot instructed AFP, on situation of anonymity.
The vest can also be outfitted with water, vitamin bars, a first-aid equipment and a pistol. Pilots are skilled to fend for themselves within the wilderness whereas evading enemy troopers after an ejection.
Final week, Iranian state media printed footage purporting to indicate a missile focusing on a F/A-18 flying over Chabahar, southeast Iran. The photographs present the U.S. jet flying away with no seen harm.
Printed – April 03, 2026 09:12 pm IST
