Although Iranian media claimed an F-35 has been shot down, images from the crash site clearly show debris belonging to an F-15E Strike Eagle.
On Apr. 3, 2026, Iranian media reported that the IRGC (Islamic Republic Guard Corps) shot down an American jet. According to the spokesperson for the Central Headquarters of Hazrat Khatam al-Anbia (PBUH), an F-35 was hit by a new air defense system over central Iran. However, the images from the crash site show that the debris does not belong to a Lightning II jet but to an F-15E Strike Eagle.
Spokesman of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters:
🔺 A second US fifth-generation F-35 was struck & downed over central Iran by a new IRGC Aerospace Force air-defense system.
🔺 Given the massive explosion on impact and during the crash, the pilot is unlikely to have ejected. pic.twitter.com/akrsz1m8Mm
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) April 3, 2026
In particular, the remains of one of the tails still sport the U.S. Air Force in Europe badge as well as a red tail flash belonging to the 494th Fighter Squadron based at RAF Lakenheath, UK, deployed to Jordan as part of the 494th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron.
Iranian media has posted what appears to be debris from a USAF F-15E Strike Eagle, reportedly downed earlier today.
Seen here, the remains of a vertical stabilizer. pic.twitter.com/FGD8jrmM4p
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) April 3, 2026
Since it is already making the rounds on ID…
Comparison of a left tail fin of a RAF Lakenheath-based F-15E. pic.twitter.com/VxWXX7I7xZ
— Evergreen Intel (@vcdgf555) April 3, 2026
Considering the amount of fake and AI-generated imagery Iranian sources have circulated online since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury, it is legitimate to question the authenticity of these photos. However, at the moment, they do not appear to have been altered or computer-generated. The misidentification of the aircraft also seems to support the assessment that the images do in fact come from the crash site. Someone also suggested the crash site was the one where three F-15Es had been shot down in a friendly fire incident on Mar. 2, 2026. However, the terrain in the background does not look consistent with anywhere in Kuwait.
Just saw this, and yeah, that’s a sizeable crater that one would expect from a fighter-sized impact into ground.
Note burn scar, very tiny scraps of metal, but also the mountainous terrain. pic.twitter.com/ks4kPGYO48
— Evergreen Intel (@vcdgf555) April 3, 2026
Earlier, the IRGC released footage of what appeared to be the attempted interception of a U.S. F-15, although it said the incident involved an F-35 and took place over Qeshm Island in southern Iran.
A sophisticated US-Israeli enemy fighter jet was struck and downed moments ago over southern Qeshm Island by Iran’s advanced naval air defense system, in a direct rebuttal to the US president’s false claim of having completely destroyed the Iran’ air defenses. pic.twitter.com/sLHV9ASKoi
— Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) April 2, 2026
إسقاط طائرة مقاتلة معادية متطورة وتحطمها في جزيرة قشم عند مدخل #مضيق_هرمز بواسطة منظومة الدفاع البحري المتطورة التابعة للحرس#الوعد_الصادق4 pic.twitter.com/tQJ2MsHfvs
— سديد – Sadeed (@SadeedNet1) April 2, 2026
CENTCOM debunked the claim that a U.S. fighter was downed over Qeshm Island.
🚫 CLAIM: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it downed an “enemy” fighter jet over Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
✅ FACT: All U.S. fighter aircraft are accounted for. Iran’s IRGC has made the same false claim at least half a dozen times. pic.twitter.com/bN7HJdLxEr
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 2, 2026
The two incidents may be completely unrelated. However, the fact that the alleged shootdown of an F-35 actually appears to involve an F-15E raises the possibility that both reports refer to the same aircraft, even though the reported locations do not match, namely the Strait of Hormuz and central Iran.
At the time of writing, CENTCOM had not commented on the photos of the debris. What’s not clear is the status of the two crew members. Did they ejected? Were they rescued? We will probably gather more details in the next few hours.
If confirmed, this would be the fourth F-15E lost by the U.S. Air Force since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury. In fact, as already mentioned, a Kuwait Air Force F/A-18 Hornet shot down over Kuwait three U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles that were returning from a combat mission, in a pretty unusual friendly fire incident, on Mar. 2, 2026.
F-15E deployment
F-15E Strike Eagles from RAF Lakenheath deployed to the CENTCOM AOR (Area Of Responsibility) on Sunday Jan. 17, 2026. A total of twelve F-15E Strike Eagles, backed up by two air spares, departed from RAF Lakenheath in the UK with tanker support heading towards the Middle East. Their arrival on station was confirmed by the U.S. Air Force on Jan. 18 with an image of a 494th Fighter Squadron Strike Eagle landing at an undisclosed Middle East base.
Geolocation based on buildings visible in the background of the imagery, as well as the destinations of some C-17 Globemaster III flights likely to be flying support missions for deployed units, all but confirm the location of this undisclosed base as Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan, a usual forward operating base in the Middle East for many U.S. assets.
CSAR mission
Images being shared online allegedly show that the U.S. forces launched a Combat SAR mission to rescue the aircrews of the F-15E. Iranian channels have published clips showing what appear to be a U.S. Air Force HC-130J Combat King II and HH-60 search and rescue (SAR) aircraft conducting an operation in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province in southern Iran.
There are unverified videos circulating from a C-130 and a Blackhawk which are claimed to be flying over southern Iran, can’t confirm at the moment. #Iran pic.twitter.com/7JtGwfgwvw
— Shin (@hey_itsmyturn) April 3, 2026
WATCH: U.S. C-130 Hercules reportedly flying very low over Iran, deploying flares.
The U.S. forces are highly likely searching the pilots of downed F-15E jet. pic.twitter.com/cPaQg29bOg
— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 3, 2026
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps account releases image of an ejection seat, claiming its from downed F-15E fighter jet.
Cauchemar des EM Air: aller faire du CSAR dans la profondeur. pic.twitter.com/gnG4V2Mi9y
— Harry Boone (@Harry_Boone) April 3, 2026
Video /
Reportedly from Iran
(Video: Not mine) pic.twitter.com/9lhk2fHRbX— Shin (@hey_itsmyturn) April 3, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump was briefed on the loss of a U.S. fighter and search and rescue is in progress for a pilot and weapon system officer, says White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
U.S. President Trump has been briefed on the downing of an American fighter jet this morning over Iran, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN, as search‑and‑rescue efforts continue for the aircraft’s crew, a pilot and weapons officer, in Southern Iran.
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 3, 2026
Israeli N12 News‘ Amit Segal states, quoting a Western source, that one of the crew members was successfully rescued. CBS News and other U.S. outlets similarly reported the rescue, quoting U.S. officials.
Western source: One of the American crew members was successfully rescued.
— Amit Segal (@AmitSegal) April 3, 2026
U.S. forces rescued one of the crewmembers of a downed American F-15E Strike Eagle in Iran, according to three sources familiar with the matter, two of the sources said the pilot was alive, in U.S. custody and receiving medical treatment after being evacuated from Iran, according… pic.twitter.com/Dgs9V6lMOC
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 3, 2026
Meanwhile, a video of the alleged capture of a U.S. aircrew has been debunked and appears to be instead related to last year’s clashes between India and Pakistan.
The claim that this video shows a US pilot being captured by Iranians after the downing of an F-15 fighter jet is false.
The video dates back to the India-Pakistan conflict in May 2025 and is unrelated to the Iran/US/Israel conflict. https://t.co/mDD9WeM2Ux pic.twitter.com/M8DcwBL2qo
— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) April 3, 2026
This is a developing story. We will update it as more information becomes available.
