What is known about the American fighter jet shot down in Iran, and the search to find its occupants

Iranian media announced that they have shot down an American fighter over central Iran, and another near the Strait of Hormuz. The United States, claiming that President Donald Trump was “kept informed” of the situation, has not yet made any comments.

This is a first in over a month of war in the Middle East. A fighter jet crashed on Iranian territory on Friday, April 3, as confirmed by the White House spokesperson, stating that Donald Trump was “kept informed.”

Several Iranian state media outlets announced that it had been shot down, and the Iranian regime pledged a “generous reward” to anyone who helped locate the two pilots. Several American media outlets report that one of the two pilots was rescued by the U.S. military. The Iranian military then claimed to have shot down a second American aircraft. Franceinfo provides an update.

An aircraft was shot down over Iran

Several Iranian media outlets reported on Friday morning that an American fighter jet had been shot down over the center of Iran by an air defense system. The Iranian state television station in the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad region (southwest) broadcasted images of what it presented as the wreckage of the downed aircraft, with the police announcing a reward for delivering its occupants.

“If you capture the enemy pilot(s) alive and hand them over to the police and armed forces, you will receive a generous reward,” said the journalist. The Fars news agency announced an ongoing operation “to locate the pilot.”

When contacted by AFP and CNN, the U.S. Central Command did not immediately comment on the incident. The Associated Press news agency claims to have seen an email from the Pentagon stating that the U.S. military was informed that an aircraft had been shot down in the Middle East. President Donald Trump was reportedly “kept informed” of the situation, according to White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.

Questions about the type of aircraft involved

The state agency Tasnim presented the downed aircraft as an F-35 from the US Air Force, a single-seat military aircraft designed for ground attack and air supremacy missions. However, experts have cast doubt on this claim based on photos released by Iranian media. “Without a doubt, the debris corresponds to an F-15,” said Peter Layton, a researcher at the Griffith Asia Institute and former officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, citing distinctive markings on the tail. Justin Bronk, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in London, made a similar analysis.

Unlike the F-35, the F-15 accommodates two members, a pilot and a weapons systems officer, seated in the rear seat. This aligns with reports from unnamed sources in the American media stating that two pilots are actively being sought by the United States.

One pilot rescued, second aviator still sought, according to reports

A rescue operation was launched by the U.S. military to retrieve the crew of the downed aircraft, as reported by the New York Times and the Washington Post, which claim to have authenticated photos and videos circulating on social media and in Iranian media of American helicopters and aircraft flying at low altitude over the crash site.

Several American media outlets, including the New York Times and CNN, citing sources close to the matter or unidentified American and Israeli officials, claim that U.S. forces rescued one of the two crew members from the aircraft, which no official source has confirmed. The fate of the second crew member is currently unknown.

These search operations involved two American helicopters and a low-flying tanker aircraft, according to the British newspaper The Telegraph. During this operation, one of the helicopters, a UH-60 Black Hawk from the U.S. Air Force, was reportedly hit by Iranian ground fire but managed to land safely in Iraq, according to various sources.

A second aircraft downed

Later the same day, the Iranian military claimed to have shot down a second American fighter jet. “An American A-10 aircraft was hit by air defense systems… and crashed into the Gulf waters,” announced the state television (Irib), echoing a statement from the military. According to CNN and the New York Times, citing unnamed American officials, an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, nicknamed Warthog, was indeed shot down by Tehran. The pilot managed to leave Iranian airspace and reach Kuwait before ejecting and being rescued, according to these sources.

Crash does not change negotiations, says Donald Trump

As of writing this article, the U.S. President has not publicly commented on the downed American aircraft or the still-missing aviator. Donald Trump has stated that the Iranian response does not change “anything at all” in potential negotiations with Tehran, telling NBC, “It’s war.” To The Independent, the Republican head of state, who regularly claims to have “ended eight wars,” refused to comment on what would happen if the American aviator sought in Iran was injured, saying, “Well, I can’t comment on that because we hope it doesn’t happen.”