Several US aircraft were shot down or damaged and crews injured on Friday in one of the worst days for the US military in the war with Iran, with search operations ongoing for a missing US aviator in southwestern Iran.
An F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down over Iran, marking the first confirmed loss of an American warplane to Iranian fire in the current conflict, according to US officials.
The aircraft was carrying two crew members who ejected before the crash. US officials said one pilot was rescued, while efforts to locate the second were still ongoing as of early Saturday.
Videos obtained by Iran International showed US military aircraft flying at low altitude in Iran's Kohgiluyeh and Boyerahmad province in the country's southwest.
One of the helicopters carrying a rescued crew member from the F-15 was hit by small-arms fire, injuring those on board, but landed safely in Iraq, US officials told CBS News.
In a separate incident the same day, another US aircraft—an A-10 Thunderbolt II—was hit in the Persian Gulf region, CBS reported citing US officials. The pilot was safely recovered after ejecting.
Iran says its air defenses shot down the warplane, but US officials have not disclosed the cause of the crash.
Iranian authorities also announced a reward for the capture of any surviving US pilot, calling for them to be handed over alive to security forces.
The downing of the F-15E suggests Iran retains the capability to strike US aircraft, despite repeated assertions by President Donald Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth that American forces had established air dominance during the five-week war.
The F-15E Strike Eagle is a twin-seat, dual-role fighter introduced in the 1980s, capable of both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. It can reach speeds exceeding Mach 2 and carry a payload of more than 20,000 pounds, and has been used in multiple US military operations in recent decades.
The A-10 Thunderbolt II, commonly known as the Warthog, is a single-seat, subsonic attack aircraft introduced in the late 1970s and designed primarily for close air support missions.
Built for durability and firepower, it is optimized to engage ground targets such as tanks and armored vehicles, and is centered around a powerful 30mm cannon. The aircraft can reach speeds of around 450 miles per hour and carry a payload of up to roughly 16,000 pounds.
