US confirm fighter jet shot down over Iran as hunt underway for survivors

US confirm fighter jet shot down over Iran as hunt underway for survivorsA United States fighter jet has been shot down over Iran with images shown by state media appearing to show fragments of the plane after the pilot is believed to have ejected outWreckage of what Iranian state media claim to be the plane (Image: Press.TV/X)ByTim HanlonNews Reporter15:29, 3 Apr 2026Updated15:41, 3 Apr 2026|commentsA United States fighter jet has been shot down over Iran with state media claiming the pilot ejected out. The F-35 fighter jet is understood to have been struck over central Iran with state media soon after sharing images online of what appeared to be American aircraft flying over the area, including helicopters, planes and drones. Two pilots are reported to have been on the plane and their locations are not known. Another piece of wreckage claimed to be from the plane ( Image: Press.TV/X) The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said that a second F-35 fighter jet was destroyed using an advanced defence system of the IRGC Aerospace Force and the plane belonged to the Lakenheath squadron. Throughout the war, Iran has made a series of claims about shooting down piloted enemy aircraft that turned out not to be true. But Friday was the first time that Iran went on television urging the public to hunt a suspected downed pilot. Multiple US media and sources have confirmed the news, following the earlier claims in Iranian media. A public request for help suggests the Iranian military, police and security services maintain a small presence in the rural region that spans over 15,500 square kilometres (5,900 square miles). The province is mainly home to Iran’s Lur people, many of whom are farmers. The extreme south of the province is the start of Iran’s oil fields in the area. Iranian semi-official Tasnim news agency posted a video to its Telegram channel of a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft which it claimed was part of a US search and rescue operation relating to the downed...