US Official Says Search For Crew On After Fighter Jet Shot Down Over Iran
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A US fighter jet has been shot down by Iranian forces over Iran and a search is under way for the pilot, a US official in Washington told RFE/RL, in what would be the first US warplane lost to hostile fire since the start of the war.
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Iran US Official Says Search For Crew On After Fighter Jet Shot Down Over Iran By Alex Raufoglu April 03, 2026 17:06 CET US Official Says Search For Crew On After Fighter Jet Shot Down Over Iran Share Share Print A US fighter jet has been shot down by Iranian forces over Iran and a search is under way for any survivors, a US official in Washington told RFE/RL, in what would be the first US warplane lost to hostile fire since the start of the war. The US official's remarks came hours after Iran said on April 3 that it had shot down a US jet and that it was offering a reward to Iranian citizens for the capture of the crew. The official did not provide any additional information, but Iranian sources published photos and videos of what they claimed was evidence of the incident. Reuters, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and others also cited unnamed sources reporting the shootdown and search. "Military forces have launched a search operation to find the American fighter pilot who was hit earlier today," Iran's Fars news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps , reported. While US military aircraft have crashed or been hit by Iranian missiles or drones while on the ground since the war broke out on February 28, the downing of the fighter jet, if confirmed officially, would be the first reported case of a US warplane downed by hostile fire. On March 12, six US service personnel were killed when a KC-135 refueling tanker crashed after a mid-air collision with another refueling aircraft. Just over two weeks later, on March 27, an Iranian missile and drone strike hit the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, injuring at least 12 American troops and heavily damaging at least two KC-135 aerial refueling planes. Three United States Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagles were shot down over Kuwait on March 2 by friendly fire from Kuwaiti air defenses. The six crew members ejected safely into Kuwait. US Official Says Search For Crew ...
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