United States aircraft came under small-arms fire during a search-and-rescue operation for the crew of an F-15E fighter jet downed over southern Iran, according to reports cited by the BBC and U.S. media. One crew member from the fighter was rescued, while the search for the second continued.
CBS News, the BBC’s U.S. partner, reported that the rescue force included two helicopters and an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. It said a helicopter carrying the recovered F-15E crew member was struck by small-arms fire, injuring personnel aboard, but landed safely. The A-10 was also reported hit; its pilot ejected over the Gulf and was subsequently rescued.
Other U.S. reporting said two helicopters involved in the effort were struck by Iranian fire and that all service members aboard were safe. Some crew members were injured, while both helicopters returned to base. The supplied accounts did not reconcile the difference between reports of one or two helicopters being hit, so the number remained unconfirmed.
Video circulating online appeared to show men leaving a vehicle in rural southwestern Iran and firing small arms at two low-flying helicopters. NBC News reportedly verified the footage, while BBC Verify confirmed separate video showing a U.S. plane accompanied by two helicopters over Khuzestan Province. The available evidence did not establish whether the aircraft seen under fire were the same ones reported damaged.
Iranian state-linked media claimed an American helicopter had been hit during the recovery effort. Iran’s army also said it had shot down an A-10, though the BBC noted it was unclear whether that claim referred to the same aircraft described in the U.S. reporting. Iranian authorities said they were continuing efforts to locate the missing F-15E crew member.
The loss of the F-15E was the first known case during the conflict of a U.S. fighter being brought down over Iran. Images of wreckage shared on social media were assessed by experts consulted by BBC Verify as belonging to an F-15E Strike Eagle. Israeli forces were reported to have paused strikes in the search area while the recovery mission proceeded.
Combat search and rescue operations are designed to retrieve aircrew quickly from hostile territory, where opposing forces may be searching for the same personnel. U.S. Air Force pararescue teams train specifically for such missions, although the supplied reporting did not identify which units participated.
The episode illustrated both the urgency and risk of recovering downed personnel behind hostile lines. With one F-15E crew member still missing and contradictory reports about the number of helicopters struck, key operational details remained unresolved.
