A US fighter jet has gone down over Iran, and US forces have rescued one of the crew, major US media outlets reported on Friday after Iranian media aired footage of aircraft wreckage.
Axios and CBS News, citing unidentified sources, reported that one of the two crew on the plane had already been rescued by US special forces but that the search was ongoing for the second crew member.
US media reported that a search-and-rescue operation was underway by specialized US forces, following what would be the first known loss of a jet inside Iran since Trump ordered the war.
Earlier Reports
It broadcast a message from provincial police urging the area’s nomadic peoples and villagers to join the military in the hunt for the crew of the aircraft that may have gone down in the province.
“Dear and honorable people of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, if you capture the enemy pilot or pilots alive and hand them over to the police and military forces, you will receive a valuable reward and bonus,” said a reporter on the channel.
The incident is the first report of a US fighter jet being downed in Iranian territory since the United States and Israel launched their war on the Islamic Republic on February 28.
It was unclear what aircraft was involved, with reports referring to both an F35 and an F-15E fighter jet.
The New York Times quoted US and Israeli officials confirming the Iranian claims to have shot down a jet, and other major American outlets reported that US forces had launched a rescue operation.
According to a Western fighter pilot, in the event of ejection over hostile territory, “the first thing to do is to hide and try to signal your position to your comrades”.
Pilots wear a combat vest containing a radio/GPS-coded beacon to transmit their position and communicate with search teams, using a system of code words for signalling, the pilot told AFP, on condition of anonymity.
The vest is also equipped with water, vitamin bars, a first-aid kit, and a pistol. Pilots are trained to fend for themselves in the wilderness while evading enemy soldiers after an ejection.
Earlier, the Iranian state media claimed that the Islamic Republic Guard Corps (IRGC) shot down a US F-35 stealth fighter. The aircraft was downed using an unnamed “new air defense system,” according to the spokesperson for the Central Headquarters of Hazrat Khatam al-Anbia.
According to some reports, these markings belong to the 494th Fighter Squadron, which is part of the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath. The squadron purportedly operates F-15E Strike Eagles and has deployed some aircraft to Jordan as the 494th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron for operations in the region.
© Agence France-Presse
