US F-15E Strike Eagle shot down over Iran — one crew rescued, second missing in Khuzestan

A two-seat US F-15E Strike Eagle was confirmed shot down over Iran on April 3, 2026, according to US officials. The aircraft was based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, UK — the Royal Air Force base leased to the US Air Force, from which US military aircraft including A-10 Warthogs have been operating since the war began. The plane went down over Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province in southwestern Iran. One crew member was subsequently rescued and confirmed alive, receiving medical treatment. The second crew member — the navigator — remains missing. The IRGC cordoned off the likely crash zone in Kohgiluyeh province. Two UH-60 Black Hawk rescue helicopters were hit by Iranian ground fire during the SAR operation, with minor injuries to crews; both returned safely. Armed Iranian civilians were filmed firing at the US rescue helicopters with automatic rifles as they flew low over southwestern Iran. Iran initially misidentified the aircraft as an F-35. Trump told NBC News the shootdown would not affect ongoing negotiations. This is the first confirmed loss of a US fixed-wing aircraft to enemy fire since the conflict began on February 28.