Published on 03/04/2026 at 20:33, updated on 03/04/2026 at 22:59
An American fighter jet was shot down for the first time over Iranian soil on Friday, April 3. Several unofficial pieces of information are circulating. One of the pilots has been rescued, while the other is still being sought by Americans, Israelis, and Iranians. Iran has launched a manhunt and offered a reward for his capture.
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Debris of the fuselage, an ejection seat, a deployed parachute. For the first time since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, an American fighter jet crashed on Friday, April 3 in Iran. These images were released by the Revolutionary Guards.
The state television boasts of its spoils of war, set to a fanfare background music, and claims that Iran’s anti-aircraft defense successfully downed the plane. The manhunt is on: “If you capture one or more enemy pilots and hand them over alive to the armed forces or law enforcement, you will receive an appropriate reward.”
The United States then launched an urgent rescue operation in Iranian airspace. Residents film American helicopters crisscrossing the enemy territory at low altitude. They are even refueled mid-flight despite the risk, as every minute counts. According to American media, one of the pilots has been rescued, but the other is still actively being sought. He is normally equipped with a GPS radio and supplies to survive for several days.
The crash occurred in a province in southwest Iran. It was an F-15 that was shot down, a two-seater aircraft capable of ground strikes. According to experts, it was likely caught off guard in a normally quiet mountainous region. “The Iranians bury a lot of their system. They bury missile systems and launchers. The missiles go off, and then the launchers, they move them or bury them. So it’s not surprising that a surface-to-air missile went unnoticed in that location,” explains Bertrand Vilmer, former fighter pilot and chief of the joint staff.
No official comments from Donald Trump or the Pentagon. The White House only stated that the president was closely monitoring the situation.
The next few hours of search will be crucial, as if an American pilot falls into Iranian hands, it could change the face of the war and force the United States to evolve their strategy,” analyzes Diane Schlienger, France Télévisions correspondent in Washington, D.C.
