US Military Fighter Jet Shot Down Over Iran, Pilot Missing

F-15E Fighter Of The US Air Force At Paris Air Show 2025 — Source: NurPhoto / Getty

A search-and-rescue mission is underway after a U.S. fighter jet was shot down over Iran.

NBC News reports that the shot-down F-15E fighter jet was a two-seater aircraft, and one of the crew members has already been safely recovered. Nour News, an outlet associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, said the jet “was destroyed in the skies over central Iran by a new advanced air defense system of the IRGC Aerospace Force.” The fate of the other pilot is still unknown, though sources believe they are alive on the ground.

Several factors are complicating the U.S. military’s search-and-rescue mission. First, there are currently no ground soldiers deployed in Iran, so there’s little to no chance that the pilot can be found by ground forces. While the U.S. has deployed helicopters and a U.S. transport plane to find the pilot, the New York Times reports that they’ve had to fall back after coming under fire. It also doesn’t help that a regional governor has offered a $60,000 reward for anyone who finds the pilot and delivers them to the Iranian military. A ticker on Iranian news broadcasts urges civilians to shoot U.S. aircraft “if you see them.”

All U.S. pilots receive Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape, or SERE training, which is all about what to do in the event their aircraft is shot down. After safely ejecting from the downed aircraft, pilots are expected to find a safe place to hide before using their radios to inform the U.S. military of their location.

While Iran has plenty of remote territories that could help the pilot hide, it’s truly a race against time. The pilot likely has very little food and water and is having to not only evade hostile forces but also deal with changing weather. Additionally, it’s unknown if the pilot was injured at all during the incident.

Admiral William Fallon, a former commander of U.S. Central Command, told the Times that the time of day could be to the pilot’s advantage in the rescue effort. “The key factor in my mind is time and day. It’s probably close to sunset, and that’s good, because we typically have an advantage at night with our search-and-rescue people,” Admiral Fallon told the Times.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump has been informed about the shot-down plane, but there has yet to be any official statement from the White House or the Pentagon as of this writing. Iranian officials have used the incident to mock the Trump administration’s handling of the war.

“This brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from ‘regime change’ to ‘Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please?’” Mohammad Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s Parliament, said in a post on X. “Wow. What incredible progress. Absolute geniuses.”

According to AP, Israel has suspended airstrikes in areas that are “relevant” to the search. The downed F-15E is the first aircraft to be shot down by Iran during the war, and highlights their ability to fight back despite their military forces being significantly hampered by the U.S. and Israel’s ongoing airstrikes.

The downed aircraft is the latest, shocking development in a war that has already roiled the global economy and stoked fears of a recession.