American fighter jet downed over Iran, 1 crew member rescued, U.S. officials say
A U.S. F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran on Friday, and one crew member from the plane was later rescued by American forces, U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News.
The F-15E is flown by a two-member crew, and a search and rescue effort for the second crew member is still ongoing, sources said.
U.S. officials told CBS News the F-15E was shot down by Iranian forces. Earlier in the day, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard claimed it shot down a U.S. fighter jet over the middle of the country.
Photos and video were circulating on social media, shared by Iranian state news outlets, suggesting at least one U.S. C-130 aircraft and two Black Hawk helicopters were spotted flying low over central and southwest Iran in what was described as a possible effort to locate and recover the crew.
CBS News reported earlier this week that the U.S. military had lost at least 16 MQ-9 Reaper drones over Iran since the war began, and three U.S. F-15 fighter jets were shot down over Kuwait in a "friendly fire incident" early in the conflict, but there were no casualties.
The downing of the jet Friday comes after repeated assertions by President Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and military commanders of U.S. air superiority that largely deprived Iran of attack capabilities and air defenses during the war.
"Now in our fifth week of the campaign, it is my operational assessment that we are making undeniable progress. We don't see their navy sailing. We don't see their aircraft flying, and their air and missile defense systems have largely been destroyed," CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said Thursday.
A local affiliate of Iran's state TV channel said Friday a prize being offered for anyone able to "capture the enemy pilot or pilots alive and hand them over to the police."
The Associated Press said the TV broadcast included a written message urging viewers to shoot at any U.S. aircraft seen flying overhead.