US Pilot Missing in Iran After F-15E Jet Shot Down

U.S. Forces are conducting an exhaustive search in Iran for a missing crew member after an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down on Friday, April 3, 2026. One of the two crew members on board the two-seater aircraft has been rescued, according to U.S. Officials.

The aircraft was downed over the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province in southwestern Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iranian state media claimed responsibility for the shoot-down. While initial Iranian reports suggested the downed aircraft was an F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, subsequent photos of the wreckage released by Iranian media indicated the aircraft was an F-15E Strike Eagle.

Sources suggest the jet may have belonged to the 494th Fighter Squadron based at the Royal Air Force Lakenheath base. President Donald Trump has been briefed on the incident, and the Trump administration has notified congressional leaders.

Additional Aircraft Losses and Damage

The search and rescue operation for the missing airman has resulted in further military losses and engagements. A U.S. Official told NBC News that an A-10 Thunderbolt, known as a Warthog, was struck by Iranian fire while mobilized to support the rescue mission. The A-10 was operated by a single pilot who ejected safely; the aircraft subsequently crashed in Kuwaiti airspace.

Two U.S. Military Blackhawk helicopters involved in the search and rescue efforts were also struck by Iranian fire. Officials stated that the service members on board those helicopters were unharmed.

Local footage from the region has shown HC-130s and HH-60 Black Hawks flying low over Iranian territory as part of the ongoing effort to locate the missing crew member. In response to the rescue operation, the Israeli Defense Forces have paused their strikes in the region.

Operation Epic Fury Context

The loss of the F-15E marks the first known loss of a U.S. Aircraft within Iran since the start of the conflict known as Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026. The campaign has seen 13,000 combat flights over a five-week period.

This is not the only loss of F-15 aircraft during the campaign, as three F-15s were previously lost in a friendly fire incident in Kuwait.

Iranian Response and Regional Tensions

The governor of Iran’s Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, where reports indicated Iranians were searching for the missing pilot, denied reports on Saturday, April 4, 2026, that the second American crew member had been found and arrested.

The situation remains volatile across the region. In Bahrain, four people were injured by shrapnel from intercepted drones.

The Pentagon and the White House did not immediately comment on the IRGC’s claims regarding the shoot-down, though Central Command is expected to issue a formal statement. A regional governor in Iran had reportedly offered a bounty for the crew members of the downed jet.