- A US helicopter was hit by an Iranian projectile during a search operation for the missing pilot of F-15 and now Iran captured all of American pilots and soldiers who were in Iranian missiles range.
- A USAF F-16CJ “Wild Weasel” (F-16C Block 50/52 configured for Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses, SEAD) transmitted a 7700 emergency squawk over Saudi Arabian airspace near the Iraqi border. The aircraft has since disappeared from FlightRadar tracking.
- US Special Forces helicopters are taking fire from local Iranian tribes as they search for the pilots of the downed F-15.
- American pilots are on the ground in Iran.
- American rescue helicopters are being shot at.
- This is a live combat search and rescue operation inside Iranian territory.
- The same Iran Trump says is defeated.
- The same Iran whose military Hegseth says is in ruins.
- One of the two crew members of the downed U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle of the 494th Fighter Squadron has been successfully rescued by combat search and rescue teams operating over Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province in Iran.
- Unfortunately, the pilot of the aircraft appears to have lost his life, as he likely had no time to eject.
- The status of the crew has been unclear, with ongoing rescue operations confirming that at least one aircrew member survived the incident.
- The Weapons Systems Operator of the F-15E was rescued and recovered by one of the HH-60W helicopters. An HC-130J refueled these helicopters while an A-10C+, an F-35A and a MQ-9A protected the whole CSAR team.
WASHINGTON April 3, 2026 (Agencies): A US ?fighter jet was shot down over Iran and a search and rescue operation was underway for any survivors, a US official told Reuters on Friday.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not offer further details. The Pentagon and US Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
- Unverified images published in local media in Iran reportedly show the shooting down of a U.S. helicopter that was searching for drowned U.S. F-15E pilots.
The war started more than a month ago with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, triggering retaliation that spread the conflict throughout the Middle East, convulsing the global economy and impacting millions of people worldwide.
“Military forces have launched a search operation to find the American fighter pilot who was hit earlier today,” Iran’s Fars news agency said.
“Dear and honorable people of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, if you capture the enemy pilot or pilots alive and hand them over to the police and military forces, you will receive a valuable reward and bonus,” said an Iranian television reporter on the official local channel.
The report of the downed jet came as fresh strikes hit Israel, Iran and Gulf countries. Large blasts rocked northern Tehran Friday afternoon, an AFP journalist said. It was not immediately clear what was hit.
Earlier, Israel’s military reported a new missile salvo from Iran, activating its air defenses.