F15 Jet | Has Iran Downed US' F15-E Fighter Jet? | Biggest Stories Of April 04, 2026

A US fighter pilot ejected from an aircraft in southwest Iran, news agency AP reported, quoting Iranian media. This is the first known loss of a US jet inside the country since the war began on Febuary 28. US media outlets reported that one of the two crew on the plane had already been rescued by US special forces, and a search was underway for the second crew member. According to The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, the plane was an F-15E fighter jet. The warplane is crewed by a pilot and a weapons-systems officer in the back seat. An anchor on a local Iranian channel read out an announcement saying, "Military forces have launched a search operation to find the American fighter pilot who was hit earlier today. Dear and honourable 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."