The Iranian air defense force has shot down a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle from 494th Fighter Squadron OF RAF Lakenheath over western Iran.
Unverified images circulating on social media on April 3, 2026, appear to show the wreckage of a US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle on Iranian soil.
If authentic, markings visible on the remains of a vertical stabilizer would identify the aircraft as belonging to the 494th Fighter Squadron, part of the 48th Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom.
Initial information indicated that U.S. forces attempted to locate and extract the pilot, but some sources suggested the pilot was likely captured by Iranian military units.
A correspondent from Tasnim News Agency in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province reported that the pilot ejected after the aircraft was destroyed and landed inside Iranian territory.
U.S. officials have confirmed to Axios, “Iran has shot down a U.S. fighter jet, & a search & rescue effort is underway to locate two crew members.”
Investigations by Tasnim reporters in the provinces show that the Americans are using several Black Hawk helicopters, a Hercules 130, and reconnaissance drones to search for the fighter pilot.
The debris was initially presented by Iranian media as evidence of a second F-35 Lightning II shootdown. The spokesperson for the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters claimed that the aircraft had been hit by a new air defense system over central Iran. However, the tail markings visible in the images, including what appears to be the US Air Forces in Europe badge and the 494th Fighter Squadron’s red tail flash, are consistent with an F-15E, rather than an F-35.
Separately, the IRGC had released footage on April 2, 2026, claiming the interception of what it called an F-35 near Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command debunked that specific claim, posting on X that all US fighter aircraft were accounted for. CENTCOM has not commented on the debris images.
If confirmed, the loss would be the first known combat loss of a crewed U.S. Air Force aircraft over Iranian territory since the war began.
