U.S. F-15E Shot Down, Military Launches Rescue Operation for Missing Crew

The IRGC's claim to have shot down a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle over southwestern Iran set off a frantic, parallel race on April 3: American special forces hunting to rescue the two-man crew before Iranian tribesmen, mobilized by a provincial bounty, could reach them first.

U.S. special forces reached one of the two crew members first. Officials confirmed that one crew member was located and rescued alive, with medical treatment underway. The second remained missing Friday afternoon as the search continued over the rugged, 5,900-square-mile terrain of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province in southwestern Iran.

Geolocated social media footage revealed the scale of the American effort: a C-130 Hercules, two Black Hawk helicopters, multiple drones, and an A-10C Thunderbolt II flying low in the "Sandy" close air support role, escorting rescue helicopters over mountainous terrain. Israel assisted with the operation, according to an Israeli military officer who spoke anonymously. Reports that one of the rescue helicopters may itself have been shot down remained unconfirmed Friday afternoon.

The F-15E belonged to the 494th Fighter Squadron, the Panthers, part of the 48th Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, England. The squadron had deployed 12 F-15Es to the CENTCOM area of operations on January 17, 2026, ahead of hostilities. Iranian state media initially claimed the downed aircraft was an F-35 stealth fighter; independent analysis of wreckage photos contradicted that account, with a distinctive red-banded tail fin and Advanced Concept Ejection Seat visible in the debris, both consistent with an F-15E. The IRGC Aerospace Force claimed responsibility for the shootdown.

This marked the first confirmed enemy shootdown of a manned U.S. aircraft in Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-Israeli campaign launched February 28, 2026, with coordinated strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and targeted Iran's nuclear and defense infrastructure in roughly 900 sorties within the first 12 hours. CENTCOM had denied at least six previous Iranian shootdown claims, each time stating all U.S. fighter aircraft were accounted for. That streak's end also directly undercut a recent public assessment by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said Iranian air defenses had degraded to the point where B-52 Stratofortresses were flying freely over the country.

Iran's own search came paired with a civilian mobilization campaign. Military forces confirmed they were searching for the American pilot, though the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported the effort had been "so far unsuccessful." Iranian state television broadcast a female anchor urging civilians to help "capture" the crew, while a crawl in one regional broadcast told viewers to "shoot them if you see them." The governor of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province promised a commendation for anyone who captures or kills a crew member. Local traders offered a bounty of 10 billion Iranian tomans, roughly $60,000 to $76,000, and an Iranian soccer player added Persepolis FC medals he had won as an extra incentive. Armed tribesmen were reported mobilized across Khuzestan and Kohgiluyeh provinces.

President Trump was briefed on the incident, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed. The Pentagon and CENTCOM declined immediate comment, and the White House issued no formal statement on the pilots' status. Thirteen Americans had been killed in Operation Epic Fury prior to Friday's incident.

The information environment around the shootdown was itself a contested space from the first hours. Iranian outlets led with an F-35 claim that independent verification dismantled within hours; the identity of the actual aircraft, the number of crew rescued, and the status of the rescue helicopters remained in dispute. Whether the second crew member is recovered or captured, and what military response Washington orders next, were the questions driving events Friday afternoon over the Zagros foothills.