An F-15 in action. The US model from the 1970s is more at risk in combat operations than its hyper-modern successor, the F-35.Image: AP
April 3, 2026, 5:01 p.mApril 3, 2026, 5:15 p.m
The Iranians have repeatedly claimed responsibility for shooting down an American F-35 super fighter jet by grotesquely falsifying images. The loud announcement from Good Friday is at least half true this time: The US Air Force has confirmed the loss of an F-15E fighter-bomber over Iranian soil.
The fate of the two-person crew remained unclear on Friday afternoon. As yet unconfirmed images on social media showed an empty ejection seat and other debris from the wreckage. The Iranian news agency Tasnim reported the capture of the pilot and his weapons officer.
US officials immediately launched a search and rescue operation, but it was considered extremely risky due to Iranian air defenses. Unconfirmed aerial footage also showed an American Hercules transport plane and Blackhawk helicopters circling over Iran. Another such shot showed the rescue plane firing flares to ward off Iranian anti-aircraft missiles.
The shootdown came on the same day that President Donald Trump announced new attacks on Iranian infrastructure. According to Iranian sources, several people were killed and numerous others were injured in a US air strike on a strategically important bridge. Washington described the attack as a targeted strike against supply routes for Iranian missile and drone forces.
US losses are adding up
Since the start of the US military operation “Epic Fury” a month ago, the losses have been adding up: more than 300 soldiers have been wounded and 13 have died. The air force is also badly affected. Around 20 aircraft were damaged and several were completely destroyed.
The likely failure of an E-3 Sentry early warning aircraft, which was massively damaged in an Iranian attack on a US base in Saudi Arabia on March 27, is particularly serious. Should the machine have to be written off, this would further weaken the already scarce AWACS fleet.
There are also several spectacular incidents: three F-15E fighter jets were shot down by a Kuwaiti fighter jet of the same type in a friendly fire incident at the beginning of March; the crews were rescued. The crash of a KC-135 tanker plane in Iraq, in which six US soldiers were killed, ended less happily.
Other aircraft of this type were damaged, as was a modern F-35 fighter jet. Unmanned systems are not spared either: at least a dozen MQ-9 Reaper drones were lost – some in the air, some on the ground in Iranian missile attacks.
Military experts see the losses as a warning signal. The US Air Force’s ability to quickly compensate for even moderate failures is currently limited. This could significantly affect operational capability in the event of a further escalation. (aargauerzeitung.ch)