Rescue operation underway as debris in Iran identified as U.S. F-15E

Friday 03 April 2026 - 16:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Rescue operation underway as debris in Iran identified as U.S. F-15E

Open-source intelligence analysts have identified wreckage displayed by Iranian state media as belonging to a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle, contradicting Iran's claim that its forces had downed a fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighter. Geolocated footage simultaneously showed American combat search-and-rescue aircraft operating deep inside Iranian territory, in what could represent the first confirmed crewed aircraft loss over Iran since Operation Epic Fury began on February 28.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced Friday that its aerospace forces had shot down an F-35 over central Iran using a newly developed air defense system. Independent analysts swiftly challenged that claim. Images of a recovered vertical stabilizer showed markings consistent with the 494th Fighter Squadron, a unit based at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom that deploys F-15E Strike Eagles across the U.S. Central Command area of operations. The Aviationist reported the tail section bore a U.S. Air Forces in Europe insignia alongside the 494th's distinctive red band. Iranian forces also photographed what appeared to be an ACES II ejection seat at the crash site, the standard seat used in the F-15E.

U.S. Central Command did not address the wreckage. Hours earlier, CENTCOM had denied a separate IRGC claim of a shootdown near Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, posting on X that all American fighter jets were accounted for and that the IRGC had made similar false claims at least six times previously.

Geolocated video from Iran's Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province in the southwest showed American specialized rescue aircraft flying at low altitude, according to aviation tracking outlet ItaMilRadar. The footage captured HC-130J Combat King II aircraft conducting aerial refueling of HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, a complex procedure required to extend helicopter range deep into Iranian territory. Corroborating reports from the Associated Press indicated that Iranian state media in the province had offered a reward for the capture of the downed aviator, prompting armed local tribes to mobilize across rugged terrain near the city of Izeh.

Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that U.S. forces attempted an extraction using Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130, but that the operation failed and that a pilot may be in IRGC custody. The Pentagon did not respond to those claims.

The F-15E carries a two-person crew consisting of a pilot and a weapons systems officer. As of the time of reporting, neither the Pentagon nor CENTCOM had confirmed the loss of the aircraft or released any information on the crew. If verified, the incident would mark the fourth F-15E lost since the conflict began, following three Strike Eagles downed in a friendly-fire incident involving Kuwaiti air defenses on March 2.