WASHINGTON - A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down over Iran on Friday, and a search and rescue operation is underway for the two crew members, U.S. officials said. It marks the first confirmed loss of an American manned aircraft since the war with Iran began in late February.
Iranian state media first reported the downing, and three U.S. sources later confirmed the incident to CNN. Axios, citing a source familiar with the situation, also reported that the jet had been downed by Iranian fire. The U.S. military and the White House have not issued a formal public statement.
The aircraft is an F-15E Strike Eagle, a two-seat fighter jet. It was assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing, based at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. Iranian state media initially claimed an F-35 stealth fighter had been hit by a new air-defense system and released images of debris. But subsequent reporting and analysis of the wreckage identified the jet as an F-15E.
Search and rescue efforts are ongoing. Video verified and geolocated by CNN shows military aircraft flying low over Khuzestan Province in central Iran. The footage shows a refueling plane and two helicopters, a formation consistent with a search mission. A local Iranian state television channel reported that at least one U.S. pilot ejected from the jet after it was hit. The channel also urged civilians to capture any surviving pilots and turn them over to authorities, offering a reward. An on-screen crawl encouraged viewers to “shoot them if you see them,” referring to U.S. aircraft flying low in the region.
The downing happened near Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian media reports. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) earlier on Thursday had denied a separate claim from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that a fighter pilot had been shot down over the same area. CENTCOM said all U.S. fighter aircraft were accounted for and called the claim false.
The incident comes after weeks of U.S. and Israeli strikes over Iran without a confirmed shootdown, despite repeated Iranian claims that later proved false. The U.S. military has lost at least 16 MQ-9 Reaper drones over Iran since the war began, and three U.S. F-15 fighter jets were shot down over Kuwait in a “friendly fire” incident early in the conflict. Friday’s downing is the first time a U.S. aircraft has been shot down by enemy fire during the war.
The United States has maintained it holds air superiority over Iran. President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and military commanders have repeatedly asserted that Iran’s air defenses have largely been destroyed.