A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle went down over southern Iran after being struck by hostile fire. The aircraft has a pilot and weapons systems officer. This was the first aircraft to be downed over Iran during Operation Epic Fury. On Thursday, the CENTCOM Joint Personnel Recovery Center (JPRC) declared an “isolated personnel event”.
Iranian state media shared images of aircraft debris alongside claims that Iran had downed an F-35. The F-35 is a single-seat aircraft. Once the F-15E pilot was recovered the Iranians thought the rescue event was over. However, news media quickly picked up on the photos the Iranians were displaying were from a F-15E Strike Eagle, not a F-35.
Once the personnel recovery event was declared the USAF Personnel Recovery (PR) Task Force began preparations to recover the F-15E aircrew. The PRTF over 21 aircraft involved to include A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes (called “Sandys”), KC-13 search and rescue aircraft, HH-60W Jolly Green IIs, HC-130J refuelers, and a package of Air Force special warfare combat rescue officers and pararescue operators. A fighter strike package protected the aerial PR force. The recovery of the pilot (Dude 44A) was conducted during daylight hours by the PRTF; by all accounts it was a “traditional” CSAR event.
In addition, there are multiple social media accounts stating that an A-10 Thunderbolt has gone down and that the pilot has been recovered. Israel has canceled flight operations in the immediate area (southwest Iran) and is assisting in the air crew recovery.
The F-15E Strike Eagle is a dual-role fighter designed to perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. An array of avionics and electronics systems gives the F-15E the capability to fight at low altitude, day or night and in all weather.
Previous models of the F-15 are assigned air-to-air roles; the “E” model is a dual-role fighter. It has the capability to fight its way to a target over long ranges, destroy enemy ground positions, and fight its way out.
Total aircraft incidents:
April 3, 2026. Two Black Hawk helicopters involved in the Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) mission for the F-15 Strike Eagle were hit, injuring the crews, before returning to base.
April 3, 2026. An A-10 Thunderbolt went down over the Persian Gulf with a code 7700 after being struck by hostile fire. The pilot navigated the damaged plane to Kuwaiti airspace before ejecting and was subsequently rescued. (NFI as of 031630QAPR26).
April 3, 2026. An F-15E Strike Eagle went down in southern Iran. Pilot recovered and weapons systems officer is evading (as of 031600QAPR26).
March 19, 2026. An F-35 fighter jet was reportedly hit by enemy fire during a mission over Iran but was able to make an emergency landing at a U.S. air base.
March 12, 2026. Six U.S. Air Force personnel were killed when their KC-135 Stratotanker crashed in western Iraq during combat operations.
March 1, 2026. Three U.S. F-15 Strike Eagle fighters were shot down by a Kuwaiti pilot in a F/A-18 in a friendly fire incident. All six crew members ejected and parachuted to safety.
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Top photo: A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle assigned to 494th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron lands at a base in the Middle East, January 18, 2026. Courtesy photo CENTCOM.
Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle Fact Sheet.
McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle. Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F-15E_Strike_Eagle
