US rescues one airman after F-15E shot down over Iran, search continues for second

April 03, 2026, 13:56 (UTC +3)
One airman rescued by US forces, search continues for second airman

US Central Command confirmed the aircraft shot down over Iran was a US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle. Both crew members ejected. US and Israeli officials say one airman has been recovered in a combat search-and-rescue operation, while the second remains unaccounted for as recovery efforts continue in hostile territory. The incident marks the first confirmed loss of a US combat aircraft to enemy fire over Iran in the conflict.

Unverified images circulating on social media on April 3, 2026, appear to show the wreckage of a US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle on Iranian soil.  If authentic, markings visible on the remains of a vertical stabilizer would identify the aircraft as belonging to the 494th Fighter Squadron, part of the 48th Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom.  

However, neither the images’ origin nor the circumstances of the alleged crash have yet to be independently confirmed. 

Second, the hills in the background don’t illicit a sense of this being anywhere in Kuwait, the site of the 3 shot down early in the war by a Kuwaiti F/A-18C. pic.twitter.com/cE3eyTAe7p— Evergreen Intel (@vcdgf555) April 3, 2026

IRGC claimed an F-35 kill, but markings point to an F-15E 

The debris was initially presented by Iranian media as evidence of a second F-35 Lightning II shootdown. The spokesperson for the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters claimed that the aircraft had been hit by a new air defense system over central Iran. However, the tail markings visible in the images, including what appears to be the US Air Forces in Europe badge and the 494th Fighter Squadron’s red tail flash, are consistent with an F-15E, rather than an F-35. 

#BREAKING Photo of the site where the US F‑35 jet crashed after it was shot down over central Iran. pic.twitter.com/3OiZ0JvlwP— Tehran Times (@TehranTimes79) April 3, 2026

Separate images appear to show a sizeable impact crater with a burn scar, surrounded by mountainous terrain. 

CENTCOM has not commented on the debris images 

Separately, the IRGC had released footage on April 2, 2026, claiming the interception of what it called an F-35 near Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command debunked that specific claim, posting on X that all US fighter aircraft were accounted for. CENTCOM has not commented on the debris images. 

CLAIM: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it downed an “enemy” fighter jet over Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. FACT: All U.S. fighter aircraft are accounted for. Iran’s IRGC has made the same false claim at least half a dozen times. pic.twitter.com/bN7HJdLxEr— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 2, 2026

Some observers suggested that the debris could have originated from the March 2, 2026, friendly fire incident in which three F-15Es were shot down by a Kuwaiti F/A-18 fighter while returning from combat missions. All six crew members in that incident managed to eject safely.

April 03, 2026, 16:04 (UTC +3)

Footage suggests combat search and rescue operations over Khuzestan

Additional footage shared on social media appears to show US combat search and rescue (CSAR) assets operating over Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran. The footage, which has not been independently verified, shows what appears to be one HC-130 and two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters, the standard CSAR package used by US Air Force rescue squadrons.

Footage appears to show a U.S. Special Operations Command MC‑130J flying at a low altitude over southern Iran, escorting a pair of HH‑60 helicopters, reportedly conducting a C-SAR mission for an American pilot of a downed F‑15E. https://t.co/KaA0coA5Sb pic.twitter.com/3msTnCnK7G— Egypt’s Intel Observer (@EGYOSINT) April 3, 2026

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that US forces had been conducting search operations using helicopters and a C-130 aircraft, but claimed the rescue attempt had failed. CENTCOM has not confirmed or denied any CSAR operations over Iran.

Separately, the IRGC published an image of what it identified as the ejection seat from the downed aircraft.

The seat appears consistent with the ACES II (Advanced Concept Ejection Seat), manufactured by Collins Aerospace and standard equipment on the F-15E.
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