An American weapons systems officer has been missing inside Iran since Friday after Iranian forces shot down his F-15E Strike Eagle over Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province. The pilot ejected and was rescued alive by U.S. special forces. The weapons systems officer ejected separately and has not been recovered.
His name has not been released. His family has not been heard from publicly. The Defense Department has confirmed nothing beyond that President Trump was briefed.
The aircraft belonged to the 494th Fighter Squadron, 48th Fighter Wing, based at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. Debris photos published by Iranian media show tail markings consistent with that unit. CNN verified video of U.S. search-and-rescue aircraft operating at low altitude over Iran’s Khuzestan province. CBS News, citing U.S. officials, confirmed the shootdown and the rescue of the pilot.
The rescue operation took heavy fire. An A-10 Warthog providing air support was struck by Iranian air defenses. Its pilot flew the damaged aircraft into Kuwaiti airspace and ejected safely. The helicopter that extracted the rescued pilot was hit by small arms fire, wounding crew members on board. A second helicopter also took fire. Both landed safely.
Four U.S. aircraft were hit in a single engagement sequence.
Iranian state television broadcast appeals for civilians to locate the missing crew member. Fars News reported local merchants offered roughly $60,000 for his capture. A regional governor issued a separate bounty. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf mocked the search on X.
CENTCOM has not issued a public statement confirming the shootdown. As of Saturday morning, more than 24 hours had passed without official acknowledgment from the military command responsible for the Middle East theater. The Trump administration notified congressional leaders. Congress is not in session and will not return until April 13.
The shootdown came two days after Trump told the nation the war was “nearing completion” and Iran had been “essentially decimated.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had said Iran’s radar capability was destroyed. Trump said Iran could do nothing to stop American strikes.
The F-15E loss is the first manned U.S. aircraft shot down by enemy fire over Iran during Operation Epic Fury. Three F-15Es were lost to Kuwaiti friendly fire on March 2. A KC-135 tanker crash killed six crew on March 12. An E-3 AWACS was destroyed on the ground in Saudi Arabia by Iranian missiles. Five weeks into the war, 13 American service members are dead. Another 365 have been wounded.
Israel halted its own strikes in Iran to clear airspace for the search and is providing intelligence to help locate the missing officer. The weapons systems officer’s identity, condition, and location remain unknown.
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