Fighter jet crew member rescued by US forces after F15 downed over Iran

Fighter jet crew member rescued by US forces after F15 downed over Iran One of the two crew members on board the downed US fighter jet has been rescued by American forces, US officials saidCommentsNewsEliana Nunes News Reporter16:59, 03 Apr 2026Updated 17:14, 03 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesImages purporting to show the US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet that was downed over Iran(Image: Collect)One crew member from the downed US fighter jet has reportedly been rescued by American forces.‌One person aboard the US F-15E - a two-member crew aircraft - was rescued, two US officials confirmed to CBS News. It comes after US officials confirmed that a fighter jet had been downed over Iran, following Iranian media reports which included images purporting to show debris from the aircraft.‌The jet has been identified by aviation experts as a US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter from the US Air Force’s 494th squadron based at RAF Lakenheath.‌A search and rescue mission is ongoing for the second crew member. Images posted on social media and verified by CBS News show a refuelling plane and two helicopters flying low over Khuzestan Province in south-west Iran. This is said to be consistent with a search and rescue mission.View 2 ImagesAn F-15 Strike Eagle (stock)(Image: Loop Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)A social media account claiming to be linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has posted a picture of an ejector seat in a desert.‌Aviation expert Justin Bronk told The Guardian that the image appears be consistent with the ACES II type used in F-15Es."If genuine it would suggest that at least one of the two aircrew did eject safely," he told the outlet. It is not yet clear whether the crew member who was rescued ejected using this seat.The status of the second crew member is not yet known. The governor of Iran's southern Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province has said that the priority is "capturing" the crew of the downed jet "alive”.Article continues...