A timeline of the two US military jets shot down by Iran forces

Original article by Edward Helmore

In a significant escalation of the US-Israel war in Iran, Iranian forces shot down two US military jets in recent days. Three pilots involved in the loss of an F-15 Strike Eagle and an A-10 Warthog ground attack plane have been rescued, but the incidents put the US on notice that Iranian air defenses may not be as degraded as the Trump administration has broadly claimed.

Here’s a timeline of what we know so far.

4/3/2026

Reports of US planes struck down

Overnight on Friday, an F-15E Strike Eagle with two crew members and belonging to the 48th Fighter Wing of the US air force in Europe was shot down by Iranian forces, with photos showing the photos of the wreckage circulating on social media. It is believed to be the first US plane brought down by enemy fire during the conflict.

A second plane, an A-10 Warthog, was struck by Iranian fire. Before ejecting, the pilot was able to get the aircraft to Kuwaiti airspace and was also rescued, according to the Washington Post.

4/4/2026

A search and rescue mission unfolds

One pilot on the F-15E Strike Eagle was rescued seven hours later with help from two US military helicopters, according to reports. The helicopter that rescued the pilot was reportedly hit by small arms fire, some wounding crew members on board. The helicopter landed safely and injured rescuers were reported to be receiving medical treatment.

US officials then went quiet, offering no indication if the second airman had ejected safely and was in hiding, had been killed in the crash, or captured by Iranian forces. But US aircraft and helicopters were seen in the area where the fighter jet went down.

4/4/2026

Search for the second airman

US and Iranian forces race to find the “seriously injured” second airman, the F-15’s weapons officer, outside Isfahan. The unnamed officer, armed only with a pistol, is later reported to have hidden out on a 7,000-ft ridge while US MQ-9 Reaper drones hit nearby Iranian forces if they came close to his position.

Iranian forces got within 3km (1.8 miles) of the downed airman, a colonel, according Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour,” Trump said on Sunday.

According to reports, the downed pilot made contact with US forces using an encrypted radio, while continuing to evade the pursuing Iranian forces.

4/4/2026

The CIA reportedly deploys a ruse

The CIA pulled off a diversion, according to Axios, reportedly by planting fake information that the second airman had already been rescued and was being driven out of Iran. The agency used “unique capabilities” to search and locate them.

“This was the ultimate needle in a haystack but in this case it was a brave American soul inside a mountain crevice, invisible but for CIA’s capabilities,” an official told the outlet.

The Pentagon and White House then ordered an immediate rescue mission.

Two MC-130J Air Force special operations transport planes landed at an landing airport near the downed airman.

A regional intelligence official briefed on the mission told the Associated Press that the US military blew up two transport planes due to a technical malfunction. Reports suggest they make have got stuck in mud and were blown up on the ground by US forces to prevent them falling into Iranian hands.

US forces then used three other transport planes to carry the airman and his rescuers out of Iran, according to the New York Times.

4/5/2026

Trump announces rescue

“WE GOT HIM! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND!” Trump said.

He later posted: “The Iranian Military was looking hard, in big numbers, and getting close. He is a highly respected Colonel. This type of raid is seldom attempted because of the danger to “man and equipment.” It just doesn’t happen!”

Trump says the rescue of the missing F-15 weapons systems officer by US special operation forces was “an Easter miracle” in a text to NBC News on Sunday.

“The enemy was large and violent. The rescuers were brilliant, strong, decisive, and as cool as anyone can be. The Iranians thought they had him, but it wasn’t even close,” he said, according to NBC.

Trump said that after the fighter jet’s pilot was rescued on Friday, the US “couldn’t talk about” that mission “in that it would have highlighted that there was a second”.

4/5/206

Iran acknowledges a “so-called US military rescue operation”

Iran’s military said on Sunday the US operation to rescue the airman had used an abandoned airport in Isfahan province.

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the Iranian military’s central command, said:

“The so-called US military rescue operation, planned as a deception and escape mission at an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan under the pretext of recovering the pilot of a downed aircraft, was completely foiled.”

Zolfaghari also said two US “C-130 military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters were destroyed”.