United States recovers both crew after an F-15E is shot down

Iranian forces shot down a United States F-15E fighter jet in Iranian airspace on April 3. The jet has a crew of two. United States officials said a search was underway and that the pilot had been rescued. Iranian state media said a reward would be offered to any citizen who helped capture an American pilot.

An F-15E is a two-seat strike fighter used by the United States Air Force. The pilot flies the aircraft and the weapon systems officer manages sensors and weapons from the rear seat. A shoot-down means hostile fire brought the jet down, as distinct from a mechanical failure. The report places the loss inside Iranian airspace during the 2026 Iran war.

Two United States military helicopters were hit by small-arms fire while they were searching for the crew. Small-arms fire is gunfire from rifles or similar infantry weapons, not a missile. The account does not say that either helicopter was destroyed in that engagement. It establishes that the rescue itself came under fire.

On April 5, after heavy fighting, United States special forces recovered the weapon systems officer from the downed F-15E. Special forces are military units trained for raids and recovery missions. The recovery means both crew members were back in American hands, the pilot on the day of the shoot-down and the weapon systems officer two days later. The report describes the second rescue as successful and does not give a casualty count for the fighting around it.

Iranian media claimed that an American Lockheed C-130 Hercules was shot down in Isfahan during the search for a missing American airman. That claim is reported as an Iranian media assertion, not as a confirmed United States loss. Separately, two American C-130 transport aircraft and four MH-6 Little Bird helicopters were destroyed at a temporary United States base in Iran by withdrawing American troops so the aircraft would not be captured. An MH-6 is a small armed helicopter often used to insert special operations troops.

The F-15E loss and the recovery of its crew are one episode of the air war. The pilot was rescued on April 3 and the weapon systems officer on April 5. Helicopters on the search were hit by small-arms fire. American troops also destroyed two C-130s and four MH-6 helicopters at a temporary base as they withdrew, while an Iranian claim of a further C-130 shoot-down in Isfahan remained a claim.