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U.S. Confirms F‑15E Downed Over Iran; White House National Security Team Meets as Search Continues for Second Crew Member and A‑10 Lost During Rescue Mission
The U.S. confirmed an F‑15E Strike Eagle with a two‑person crew was shot down over Iran; one crew member has been rescued while U.S. forces continue a combat search‑and‑rescue inside Iran for the second, with operations involving HC‑130s, HH‑60s and reported Israeli assistance. During the mission an A‑10 providing rescue support was damaged after taking fire and its pilot ejected and was recovered, the White House national security team convened, and Iranian state media urged civilians to capture or fire on U.S. aircrews—an outcome that contrasts with prior U.S. claims of having largely neutralized Iran’s air‑defense capabilities.
📌 Key Facts
- U.S. officials confirmed an American F‑15E Strike Eagle with a two‑person crew went down over Iran; Iranian state media and the IRGC said they shot down a U.S. fighter (initially misidentified as an F‑35), and wreckage imagery is consistent with an F‑15E likely from the 494th Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath.
- U.S. forces have rescued one crew member; a combat search‑and‑rescue operation inside Iran is ongoing for the second crew member.
- During the rescue effort a U.S. A‑10 that was providing support was damaged by enemy fire, its pilot ejected over the Persian Gulf and was rescued; a U.S. Black Hawk also came under fire but returned to base.
- Local footage and reporting show HC‑130s and HH‑60/Black Hawk aircraft operating low over central and southwest Iran consistent with an active U.S. SAR mission, and PBS cited an unnamed Israeli military officer saying Israel is assisting the U.S. search.
- Iranian state‑TV affiliates urged civilians to capture or shoot U.S. pilots, displayed wreckage, and offered rewards for turning in 'enemy pilots.'
- The White House national security team convened and President Trump was briefed; the administration has notified congressional leaders about the incident, and Trump said the U.S. would complete its mission 'very shortly' and predicted further strikes in the coming weeks.
- The downing underscores a gap between U.S. claims of having largely destroyed Iran’s air‑defense capabilities (Trump had said Iran’s radar was '100% annihilated') and Iran’s remaining offensive/defensive capacity; it is framed as the first known U.S. aircraft loss in Iran since Operation Epic Fury began.
- Context and prior losses: reporting notes multiple earlier U.S. aircraft losses in the campaign (including a KC‑135 tanker crash in Iraq that killed six, three F‑15Es mistakenly hit over Kuwait with all crew surviving, and numerous MQ‑9 Reaper drone losses); some details of the current incident (precise location and the second crew member’s status) remain unconfirmed or withheld by the Pentagon.
📊 Relevant Data
The U.S. Air Force pilot corps is 87.6% White, compared to 71% White among all active-duty airmen, indicating an overrepresentation of White personnel in pilot roles.
Air Force trying to diversify its largely white, male pilot corps with new strategy — Federal News Network
Only 12% of the active-duty U.S. Air Force pilot population consists of racial-ethnic minorities, compared to higher minority representation in the overall force.
The United States Air Force pilot diversity dilemma — Emerald Insight
Black service members comprise 17.6% of active-duty U.S. military forces, overrepresenting their 13.6% share of the U.S. population, but are underrepresented in specialized roles like aviation.
2025 USAF & USSF Almanac: DOD Personnel — Air & Space Forces Magazine
Socioeconomic barriers, such as the high cost of private flying lessons, can exclude qualified candidates from becoming Air Force pilots due to limited income.
Air Force refines pilot candidate selection process in support of rated diversity — Joint Base San Antonio
📰 Source Timeline (14)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
April 03, 2026
10:55 PM
2 U.S. aircraft shot down over Iran as strikes on infrastructure expand across Mideast
New information:
- PBS explicitly notes that for the first time in five weeks of war with Iran, two American combat aircraft were shot down in separate incidents, reinforcing that both were combat losses rather than mechanical or accidental.
- One of two service members aboard the F‑15E was rescued; the status and whereabouts of the second aircrew member remain undisclosed or unknown, indicating the Pentagon is still withholding details publicly.
- During the rescue effort, a Black Hawk helicopter came under fire but was able to return to base, adding a specific platform to previously general reports of rescue aircraft taking fire.
10:30 PM
U.S. plane damaged during search and rescue for downed jet in Iran, officials say
New information:
- Two U.S. officials told CBS News that an American A‑10 Warthog providing search-and-rescue support for the downed F‑15E took enemy fire and was damaged.
- The A‑10’s pilot ejected over the Persian Gulf and was successfully rescued.
- CBS reiterates that U.S. forces have already rescued one crew member from the downed fighter in western Iran and that U.S. special forces are still searching for the second crew member.
9:39 PM
Trump's national security team assembles at White House amid downed jet search and rescue mission
New information:
- CBS reports that President Trump’s national security team assembled at the White House on Friday specifically to address the situation involving the downed U.S. fighter jet over Iran.
- The meeting occurred while the search and rescue operation for the second missing crew member from the downed jet was still ongoing.
- CBS identifies this as a formal convening of the national security team, underscoring the incident’s prominence on the White House agenda.
9:30 PM
Friday’s Mini-Report, 4.3.26
New information:
- MS NOW quotes a U.S. official confirming the F‑15E was shot down by Iranian forces and reiterates that one crew member has been rescued while a search continues for the second.
- The item ties the shoot‑down explicitly to a broader point about Iran’s remaining air‑defense and military capabilities, despite weeks of U.S. and Israeli strikes.
8:48 PM
Search ongoing for 2nd crew member after Iran downs U.S. fighter jet
New information:
- U.S. forces have rescued one crew member from the downed F‑15E fighter jet over Iran.
- The search operation for the second crew member is ongoing at the time of the CBS report.
- CBS attributes the rescue detail to two U.S. officials, adding corroborated sourcing on crew status.
8:25 PM
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore: U.S. is "lurching again into another forever war"
New information:
- Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, an Afghanistan veteran, publicly warns the U.S. is 'lurching again into another forever war' with Iran and says Trump has not articulated what success looks like.
- CBS cites U.S. officials confirming the downed F‑15E was shot down by Iranian forces, while CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooker claims the U.S. is 'making undeniable progress' in Iran.
- Trump said in a primetime address that the U.S. would complete its mission 'very shortly,' predicting Iran would be hit 'extremely hard' over the next two to three weeks and claiming strategic objectives are 'nearing completion.'
- The article reiterates that at least 16 MQ‑9 Reaper drones have been lost over Iran, that three American F‑15s were shot down over Kuwait in a friendly‑fire incident with all crew safe, and that 13 American service members have been killed since the war began.
- Moore says Trump’s stated 2–3 week timeline for ending the war 'is sitting horribly with me' and says he is praying both for the downed F‑15 crew and for 'clarity from the White House.'
5:08 PM
Crew member rescued after American aircraft went down in Iran, U.S. and Israeli officials say
New information:
- Confirms, via U.S. and Israeli officials speaking on background, that one crew member from a downed American aircraft in Iran has been rescued, with an ongoing search-and-rescue operation still under way inside Iran.
- Discloses that, prior to this latest downing, four U.S. military aircraft had already gone down in the Iran war: a KC‑135 refueling tanker that crashed in Iraq after an incident with another U.S. aircraft, killing all six crew members, and three U.S. F‑15E fighters mistakenly hit by Kuwaiti friendly fire over Kuwait, from which all six crew members safely ejected.
- States that the KC‑135 crash occurred in "friendly airspace" in Iraq while supporting operations in Iran and that the other involved U.S. aircraft landed safely.
- Notes that the Defense Department has formally notified House Speaker Mike Johnson about the situation with the pilot in Iran and will provide him with further updates.
4:08 PM
AP report: U.S. launches rescue operation after Iranian state TV claims fighter jet went down
New information:
- This AP/PBS report is written at an earlier stage: it describes Iranian state TV claims that an American fighter jet went down over southwestern Iran and that at least one crew member ejected, before Pentagon confirmation of aircraft type and crew status.
- The article reports that the U.S. military has launched a search‑and‑rescue operation inside Iran and that Israel is helping the U.S. with the mission, citing an unnamed Israeli military officer.
- It details that an Iranian state‑TV‑affiliated channel in Kohkilouyeh and Boyer‑Ahmad province aired an anchor urging residents to turn in any 'enemy pilot' to police for a reward, later displaying metal debris in a pickup and running an on‑screen crawl telling people to 'shoot them if you see them' in reference to U.S. aircrews.
- The piece links the downed‑jet claim to concurrent Iranian attacks on Kuwait’s Mina al‑Ahmadi oil refinery and a nearby desalination plant, with Kuwait Petroleum Corp. reporting multiple blazes and 'material damage' at the water facility, and notes that a gas field in the UAE was shut down after a missile incident while sirens sounded in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia destroyed several Iranian drones.
3:54 PM
President Donald Trump briefed on downed F-15 fighter jet in Iran
New information:
- This source captures the earliest phase of the incident, when the loss was not yet officially confirmed by the U.S. and Central Command had not issued a statement.
- It reports that Iranian state media and the IRGC initially claimed they shot down what they said was a U.S. fighter and first misidentified it as an F‑35, before wreckage photos suggested it was likely an F‑15E Strike Eagle from the 494th Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath.
- It notes that President Donald Trump was briefed on the downed jet and quotes his prior public boasts that Iran’s air defenses and radar had been ‘100% annihilated’ and that the U.S. was ‘unstoppable,’ framing the shoot‑down (or loss) against those claims.
- The piece describes local footage of HC‑130 and HH‑60 Black Hawk aircraft flying low over central Iran, indicating active search‑and‑rescue efforts for the two‑person F‑15 crew.
3:54 PM
US pilot rescued from downed F-15 fighter jet in Iran, search for second crew member ongoing
New information:
- Fox’s source characterizes this as the first known loss of a U.S. aircraft in Iran since Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28.
- The article specifies the likely unit and base of the jet: an F‑15E Strike Eagle probably from the 494th Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, based on wreckage photos.
- It adds that the Trump administration has formally notified congressional leaders about the incident, according to two sources.
- The piece provides more detailed location information, citing Iranian claims that the jet went down in the mountainous Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province in central Iran.
- It notes that local footage shows HC‑130s and HH‑60 Black Hawks flying low over Iranian territory, suggesting a U.S. combat search‑and‑rescue mission inside Iran.
- Fox highlights earlier U.S. claims of ‘complete control over Iranian skies,’ quoting Trump saying Iran’s radar is ‘100% annihilated’ and that ‘they have no anti-aircraft equipment,’ underscoring the gap between rhetoric and the jet loss.
- The story records that initial Iranian accounts misidentified the jet as an F‑35, with aviation experts saying imagery is more consistent with an F‑15.
3:47 PM
American fighter jet was downed over Iran, 1 crew member rescued
New information:
- Confirms the downed aircraft is specifically an F‑15E strike fighter with a two‑person crew.
- Two U.S. officials tell CBS News that one crew member has been rescued by U.S. forces; search and rescue continues for the second.
- Reports low‑flying U.S. C‑130 and Black Hawk aircraft over central and southwest Iran, consistent with an active combat search‑and‑rescue mission.
- Notes that the F‑15E shoot‑down follows prior U.S. claims of having largely destroyed Iran’s air and missile defense systems and grounded its air and naval forces.
- Cites an Iranian state TV affiliate offering a prize for capturing U.S. pilots alive and urging civilians to fire at U.S. aircraft.
3:34 PM
Early details on F-15E fighter jet downed in Iran
New information:
- CBS reports, citing U.S. officials, that the F‑15E downing in Iran has been confirmed by the U.S. side.
- The CBS segment states that a search-and-rescue mission for the downed crew is ongoing inside Iran.
- Correspondents Elizabeth Palmer and Weijia Jiang are identified as relaying the early U.S. confirmation and SAR status on air.
2:46 PM
A U.S. jet goes down over Iran, a U.S. official confirms
New information:
- Iranian state media specifically reported that an American F-15 jet has gone down in Iran.
- A U.S. official, speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed that an American jet has gone down in Iran.
- The U.S. official said a search operation is underway by U.S. forces for the downed jet and its crew.