A wanted pilot, a reward promised by Tehran… What is known about the American fighter jet shot down in Iran

For the first time since the start of the war in the Middle East, an American fighter jet was shot down by the Islamic Republic’s anti-aircraft defense on Friday, April 3rd. At the moment, a pilot is currently being searched for on Iranian territory. Tehran claims to have shot down a second American plane.

It is a crucial race against time that started in the Middle East on April 3rd. For the first time since the conflict began in Iran, a US combat plane was shot down by the Islamic Republic’s defense forces. The F-15 aircraft was shot down in Khuzestan, near the border with Iraq and Kuwait, an area of plains but predominantly a mountain range reaching up to 3,000 meters in altitude.

Iranian television networks have confirmed the destruction of the aircraft by broadcasting images they claim to be the wreckage.

A first rescued pilot

According to initial reports, the pilots managed to eject before their aircraft crashed. A large rescue operation has been launched by the US forces, who have reportedly already found one pilot alive, according to several anonymous sources cited in American media.

Meanwhile, Tehran promises to offer a “valuable reward” to anyone who delivers the second missing American pilot alive. The capture of this soldier could be a strategic asset for the Islamic Republic in the negotiations that Donald Trump claims to have been conducting for several days.

The second pilot remains missing

Currently, the second pilot has not yet been found. The United States has deployed several UH-60 Black Hawk combat helicopters to search for him. If he is alive, the pilot, trained in survival techniques, must hide as long as possible until the arrival of US rescuers.

The Islamic Republic’s propaganda has circulated images of the population armed with rifles and carrying flags of the country participating in the search in Khuzestan.

Israel suspends strikes in the region

Following this event, Israel has decided to suspend its airstrikes in the region to support the search and rescue operations for the American pilot, as reported by an Israeli official to Associated Press. The Israeli government would also provide support to its allies in the conflict through its intelligence services.

Another aircraft shot down

Later in the evening, the Iranian regular army claimed responsibility for destroying a second aircraft in the Strait of Hormuz region. The single-seat A-10 Warthog plane was also reportedly hit by an Iranian defense system.

This information has not yet been confirmed by official US channels, but several Pentagon sources have reportedly confirmed this new setback to American media, including the New York Times.

This would be the eighth aircraft lost by Americans since the start of the conflict on February 28th. NBC News also reported that two helicopters involved in the search were hit by gunfire in the evening, with several military personnel on board being slightly injured.