US jets shot down over Iran; rescue underway

Washington: A US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran, triggering a combat search-and-rescue operation, with one crew member rescued and another still missing.

Both crew members ejected from the aircraft. One has been found alive, while efforts continue to locate the second, whose status remains unclear. The F-15E is a two-seat multirole fighter with a pilot and a weapons systems officer.

In a separate incident the same day, a US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft was also lost in the region. Its pilot was rescued safely, people familiar with the situation were quoted by local media outlets.

Initial US indications suggest both aircraft were hit by Iranian fire. Iran claimed it had downed an American fighter and circulated images purportedly showing wreckage of an F-15E, though the authenticity of those images could not be independently verified.

US Central Command and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Videos on social media, reportedly from southwestern Iran, showed US aircraft flying low, possibly conducting combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) missions.

The US Air Force has CSAR teams in the region equipped with HC-130J Combat King II aircraft and HH-60 helicopters. At least one rescue helicopter involved in the operation was hit by Iranian fire but managed to land, according to people familiar with the matter.

The incidents mark the first known combat loss of US crewed aircraft in the current conflict. Earlier, a US Air Force F-35 pilot had “suffered shrapnel wounds” after damage to the aircraft during a mission over Iran on March 19, but the jet was able to make an emergency landing.

Three F-15Es were also “shot down by friendly fire” over Kuwait on March 2, with all six crew members ejecting safely. Separately, a KC-135 tanker “crashed in western Iraq after an apparent midair collision,” killing six airmen.

Iranian state media said the downing of the aircraft would mark the first time Tehran had shot down an American fighter jet since the conflict began weeks ago. Reports also indicated Iranian forces were searching for the missing US service member in the area where the jet went down.

US officials have said American forces continue to operate with air superiority over large parts of Iran and have struck more than 12,300 targets.

IANS