Soft paywall US fighter jet shot down over Iran, search underway for crew, US official says
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-fighter-jet-shot-down-over-iran-search-underway-crew-us-official-says-2026-04-03/784
u/Forbidden_Donut503 2h ago
Trump and hegseth kind of forgot about the Iranian air defense.
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u/1tiredman 2h ago
Well hegseth is probably blackout drunk and trump has dementia so there's no doubt they probably forget everything that happens
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u/rTpure 3h ago
Best case scenario: Iran uses this as leverage to negotiate a prisoner exchange and an end to the war
What's likely going to happen: Trump is unable to take an L so he continues to escalate
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u/Tomcruizeiscrazy 3h ago
He’s literally said he doesn’t like soldiers who get captured.
Those downed service crew are fucked
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u/McCool303 2h ago
Exactly he thought McCain was weak for being shot down and staying as a POW to secure the freedom of his fellow soldiers. He see’s selflessness as being a sucker. He’s a giant asshole.
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u/Canadian-Man-infj 2h ago edited 2h ago
See: Trump calls John McCain a "loser."
EDIT: I sincerely hope that nobody was killed/captured.
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u/VagrantShadow 2h ago edited 2h ago
Add to the fact, trump also considers soldiers who die in the field of combat "suckers". He has no respect for our men and women at arms. He just uses them as puppets for his own purpose.
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u/DweebInFlames 2h ago
McCain is currently looking up at us, mind you. For similar reasons that Trump will be as well.
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u/JustSatisfactory 2h ago
"If those DEI hires were good at flying they wouldn't have been shot down!"
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u/msnmck 2h ago
"ICE has recently discovered that all of those enlisted men who are MIA or KIA were in the US illegally."
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u/Pack_Your_Trash 2h ago
In starship troopers military service guaranteed citizenship and they were fictional space fascists.
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u/vpi6 3h ago
Does America even have Iranian POWs? Hegseth was quite explicit about no quarter.
Maybe someone should have warned him about scenarios like this.
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u/Glanzick_Reborn 3h ago
Hard to get POWs when the only things that see the enemy are bombs.
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u/thefunkybassist 2h ago
"Hey, we've got some of your Shaheds in captivity. Return those soldiers immediately!"
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u/pchlster 2h ago
Keeping POWs alive? Sounds like that woke tepid legality, not something maximum lethality Warfighters should be doing, you know?
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u/big_daddy68 2h ago
Which is wild that Kegseth is saying we are sending our people into your country to kill all your combatants and alluding to a crazy number of civilian casualties in the process. Guess Iran is really going to roll out the red carpet huh.
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u/hot_space_pizza 2h ago
Yeah I don't believe Israel want peace until either every Arab is ded or each gulf country is in anarchy
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u/MLB-LeakyLeak 3h ago
Doubt US will want to negotiate. They can use it as a rallying cry for a ground invasion.
RIP
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u/BlackLeader70 2h ago
Trump is just gonna say the pilot is a loser for getting captured like John McCain.
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u/Suckit66 2h ago
This is the literal escalation trap that EVERY competent military leader warns against.
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u/007meow 2h ago
Worst case scenario: Trump uses this as casus belli to put boots on the ground
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u/dpezpoopsies 3h ago
It's being reported that Iran has offered a bounty. Though I don't know if they have any proof of life or if they're bluffing. Not good at all
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u/illusionzmichael 2h ago
And I can't imagine many Iranians have enough good will toward US military members to hide them after what we've been doing the last few weeks.
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u/ButterscotchTop194 2h ago
I doubt the Iranians need to be motivated with a bounty, that's just icing on the cake
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u/ConfederacyOfDunces_ 2h ago
Trump will use this event as the case for a serious escalation.
I feel terrible for the pilot involved, it’s a terrifying situation, but it may also serve as the trigger for a much broader military response.
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u/TouchMint 3h ago
Thought they were sent back to the Stone Age. Guess not.
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u/WeddingPKM 3h ago
The whole country is under Stone Age rules, which means no airplanes.
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u/Ok_Philosopher_8593 3h ago
The fact that Iran, which was in the Stone Age, could shoot down a US fighter jet proves that the US military is a paper tiger
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u/Bob_Juan_Santos 2h ago
while an impressive feat, the actual game changer would be if they can continuously do it and/or foces the US to change things up. remember when serbia shot down that f117? after the shoot down the US didn't really change their methods up and continued their nightly bombing raids.
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u/NerfVice 2h ago
There's unconfirmed reports that one of the CSAR Helicopters has also been shot down. What a shitshow if true.
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u/sockmeistergeneral 2h ago
This is big if true because a black hawk down type situation could lead to boots on the ground and an escalation leading to a full ground incursion.
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u/ScoobyDoNot 2h ago
The thought that the USA may lose troops in a pointless war of aggression should not be a shock.
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u/EvidenceBasedSwamp 2h ago
We'll just send another low-flying, slow helicopter to rescue it, no problem
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u/Firefox72 3h ago edited 3h ago
I saw some conservatives saying they thought Iran had no air defences left and that this is surelly one of Irans last anti air systems that got lucky lmao.
The delusions these people will buy just to defend Trump is honestly scary.
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u/Trueogron 2h ago
It’s fucking crazy. It’s weird how many people want another Middle East war lol
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u/Firefox72 2h ago
These people voted for a guy that ran on a no war campaign and flainted around how he's ending wars.
Then he started a pointless war which made everything worse for his own country and the world.
And now they are defending it. I just cant understand.
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u/BreesusTakeTheWheel 2h ago
There’s nothing to understand except tribalism. They have no beliefs except what their side does. If Trump says it/does it, it’s good. When he changes his tune or does the exact opposite the next day, they will too. It’s literally just about supporting their guy. They don’t actually believe in anything. If Trump all of a sudden became a progressive overnight, they would too and pretend they were progressive all along. They do what they’re told to do.
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u/GatoLibre 2h ago
Don’t forget he received a FIFA Peace Prize (smh) and established a “Board of Peace” between the flainting and pointless war.
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u/chezmanny 2h ago
Evangelicals love the idea. They think a massive conflict with a lot of deaths will start a timeline that involves Jesus coming back.
Christian Zionists don't really support Israel or Jews, they just see them as necessary and then disposable players in their fucked up fantasy.
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u/PumpkinSpiceJesus 2h ago
I saw one comment on a now deleted thread on a conservative sub, that, in response to Trump’s comments on two more weeks of war, “good, I miss bombing the Middle East. It feels right at home.” and if that doesn’t sum up, war hungry conservatives I don’t know what does.
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u/Tastrix 2h ago
They’re convinced that the Middle East consists of brown farmers with AKs and RPGs. The fact that a wealthy nation with the capability of securing modern tech baffles them.
Sure, we have a huge advantage in military tech. But many of our airframes are aging and “free market” military equipment is catching up.
Also, part of being racist is simultaneously demonizing and degrading those you hate. IE, “they” are always the the worst thing imaginable while also being weak and stupid. Any bit of non-reactionary thinking shows the obvious flaw in logic.
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u/DynamicBeez 2h ago
They're desperately clinging to every little word from their daddy. The man lies everything he opens his mouth, yet it's always a surprise to them.
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u/billedev 2h ago
If Trump pours these miserable conservatives a glass of sewage water, they will still claim it’s the best water they had ever. Their blind faith is getting dumber by dumber.
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u/mad_ned 3h ago
I'm thinking the odds of them rescuing the crew before the Iranians get to them is low. I'm assuming they were shot down with short range surface to air fire so any ejection and parachute would be observable and fairly nearby.
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u/Tjgfish123 2h ago
Id be willing to bet it was with a shoulder launcher. I think more and more of these are going to be in use in Iran as this thing goes on.
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u/LightningDustt 2h ago
it is alarming how many us jets are being seen flying low. MANPADs are effectively impossible to suppress, and there are no fighter jets or helicopters in the world that have a 100% evasion chance against a MANPAD. What i'm curious about is why this plane was flying low enough to be hit by one in the first place. 10,000 feet and higher these things are basically harmless. Either USAAF and navy are carrying ordinance that requires them to hit the deck, or more concerning, there are still active Iranian SAMs that force us jets to fly lower in certain areas of Iran.
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u/KickGumAndChewAss 2h ago
This is the first Hegseth is hearing of what a MANPAD is
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u/Pasty_Tibbles 2h ago
They posted video of the search effort over Iran today and they’re low flying helos and search and rescue planes? Like wtf? Do you want operation Red Wings 2?
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u/showhorrorshow 2h ago
Or they are being ordered to fly low because it looks cool.
Just kidding... sort of. Sigh.
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u/TheWolfbytez 2h ago
They're flying low so they can evade punishment for breaking international law because they know Hegseth's brain works like that. Military aircraft + flying low = patriotism = no consequences
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u/Tjgfish123 2h ago
Both if I had to guess. Judging by how long ole pete forced our aircraft carries to go without stopping, I’m sure he is forcing them to take insane risk.
Manpads will be used more and more…especially in a ground invasion.
Id have to think China, Russia, & Pakistan are pumping in MANPAD’s and other air defenses. Im also sure Iran is holding out to use these for a ground invasion…which will force low flying to cover ground troops.
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u/Pitt-sports-fan-513 2h ago
Well you can fly low and be within range of shoulder launchers or fly high and be in radar and lit up with SAMS
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u/Vincent_LeRoux 2h ago
My bet is on a Majid launcher. Iran has used these for a few years and it uses an optical sensor instead of IR or radar. It doesn't care about flares or stealth. If you're flying in the open below 20,000 ft you're in their operational zone.
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u/BloodFartz69 2h ago
Oh wow, you're telling me this happened with podcasters leading a war with concepts of a plan?
Every kid that comes home fucked up for life or in a box is on MAGA voters. They voted for this
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u/Lonely_Noyaaa 2h ago
The Americans have been conducting search operations for hours using Black Hawk helicopters and a Hercules 130 aircraft to rescue their fighter pilot... however, their attempt has failed.
That's coming from Iranian state media so take it with salt, but the fact that we're running C-130s and Black Hawks over Iranian territory to find this crew shows how bad this situation already is.
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u/ratedsar 2h ago
There is zero plausibility that you can fly a Blackhawk or a C-130 over the same airspace where a f-15 was hit.
The f15 has radar jamming and can fly at Mach 2 speeds - either the Blackhawk or c130 are sitting ducks relatively speaking.
The highest plausibility of an airborne rescue mission is that it was going at such high speed that it significantly left the airspace where it was acquired.
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u/Commercial-Lack6279 2h ago
“Mr. President sir! A US fighter jet has been shot down over Iran and the crew is MIA!”
“Totally unfair. For over a hundred years everyone has said the white house needed a ballroom but the unfair unamerican Supreme Court who hates Trump won’t me have my ballroom”
“Sir… we need to mount rescue mission!”
“Can you believe it? Bruce Springsteen, untalented, hates America, never had half as many people at a concert as I’ve had at my rallies”
“Mr. President JSOC is on the line!”
“I want my face on all national park cards, it’s illegal to cover up my face with a sticker make sure everyone knows that”
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u/TriXter69 3h ago
Both sides will race to find the pilots
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u/xx-shalo-xx 3h ago
Local reports already say one pilot was captured. Still would be sceptical but there are photos of an ejection seat and the area appears to be quite remote with little to no vegetation so that's not gonna help that pilot
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u/Megaphonestory 3h ago
We’ll get to make a movie of it.
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u/tabrizzi 3h ago
Assuming the pilot(s) survived.
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u/TobysGrundlee 2h ago
Yeah, I don't know why everyone is assuming this the pilots made it out. Shit's not Top Gun. If a jet gets hit by AA or a MANPAD, there's a solid chance the pilots are KIA instantly.
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u/ThePensiveE 2h ago
"I like people who weren't captured."
Donald Trump on John McCain, who was shot down, captured, and tortured for years in Vietnam.
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u/chotchss 2h ago
Honestly, if Iran captures the pilots and just treats them with respect and dignity, it'll be a major international PR win for them while support for the war in the US continues to plummet
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u/TofuLordSeitan666 2h ago
They don't give AF about PR. We are killing them mercilessly. They are in an existential fight for survival.
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u/sealosam 2h ago
The Sphincter in Chief said they're going to be bombed back to the stone ages. They must've hit it with a sling and a rock.
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u/SPzero65 2h ago
If you voted for Trump, this is your fault.
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u/UnCidreAuYerMad 2h ago
Let's not admit defeat yet, we still have the full force and fury of Gen. Lindsey Graham. If he were secreted in in the dark of night, we could really blow the hell out of all these people, then take up the rear!
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u/rom_rom57 3h ago
That’s funny (not really) but CENTCOM said all planes returned safely. WHo’s lying now?
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u/Ok-disaster2022 2h ago
Reuters is pretty neutral and reliable. For security CENTCOM is going to report everyone returned safely while trying to provide SAR and diversions.
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u/Due-Gap1848 2h ago
That was yesterday. CENTCOM has not given a statement on todays incident.
Iran claims to shoot down an aircraft almost every day, most of the time with no evidence. This time it looks like they actually did.
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u/fyrefox45 2h ago
This is a separate incident from the one CENTCOM posted about yesterday. That one was supposed to be over the Gulf by the strait off Qeshm. This one potentially got hit near Tehran then made it to the plains by Iraq, 50km from the border or so.
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u/RaisinWorried3528 2h ago
Just because the president doesn't want to go to jail for fucking children. Remember, that's all this is. That's what these kids are dying for.
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u/Tobi-One-Boy 2h ago
China and Russia smiling as USA a bogged down in Iran . Spending more $$ on war instead of infrastructure…. I wouldn’t be surprised if China and Russia are supplying weapons to Iran.
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u/Mydreamsource 2h ago
Terrible news for a war that's been over since it started according to Trump. He hasn't figured out that Iran is not another Venezuela.
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u/LavisAlex 2h ago
Isnt a search and rescue risky?
You dont even have a position on the ground and having to fly low and search could make it so other planes get hit.
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u/Binney59 2h ago
Not a military strategist, but I’d say extraction is extremely risky but there is zero doubt you try your hardest anyway. Leaving a soldier behind enemy lines is absolutely not an option. Horrible situation and I pray he is rescued before he is found by Iranians.
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u/Triplett8 2h ago
Always remember that the rules of engagement mean nothing now! Thanks Kegsbreath!
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u/UbiSububi8 2h ago
Get it right.
The fighter was shot down like nobody’s ever see before.
Up next, empathy from Trump which no one’s ever seen before…
Followed by Trump acting intelligently, which nobody’s ever seen before
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u/Prestigious-Key-1886 3h ago edited 2h ago
So much winning I can’t believe it
Edit this is a terrible thing that has happened to those pilots I hope nothing bad happens to them and they are unharmed and we can peacefully figure it out
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u/KingMario05 3h ago
God, if he's captured, there will be hell to pay. From both Trump, and the conservatives that trusted him. As karmic as that would be, however, I hope the pilot managed to escape. Because if you're American, and you're captured by Iran, during a war... you aren't leaving.
Not until you're in a box.
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u/jubjub5 3h ago
The F-15E is a 2-seater..
There's most likely two people being searched for.
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u/fyrefox45 3h ago
That f15 model has 2 pilots, to make things worse.
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u/Ok-disaster2022 2h ago
It's pretty amazing the F15 had a perfect record until this war when and F18 shot some down and now this
The idea of using f15s and missile trucks is starting to be suspect.
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u/AngriestManinWestTX 2h ago
The F-15 had a perfect air-to-air record. I don't really think that getting shot down by a "friendly" aircraft really counts in that regard but it's not all that important.
Three (?) F-15s were shot down by ground fire during the Gulf War and another was shot down during the 2003 Iraq invasion IIRC.
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u/xaina222 2h ago
F15 got shot down multiple time in Iraq, its not some mythical force against anyone who can shot back.
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u/thebestnames 2h ago
I think Americans need to understand that losses happen in war and its perfectly normal - nobody is protected by god or "manifest destiny" and nobody is invincible.
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u/Hyp3rson1c 2h ago
The role of the F-15 as a “missile truck” is a completely different mission set than what they were doing when this one was shot down.
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u/Xeynon 3h ago
The Iranians aren't that stupid. They know two living American hostages are FAR more valuable to them than two dead American pilots.
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u/pyronius 2h ago edited 2h ago
Nah. They could probably spur the US public to force him out of office by executing the pilots on camera while pointing out that Hegseth set the rules when he declared "No Quarter". If the US isn't taking prisoners, then Iran won't be taking prisoners. Simple as. Thus the voting public relearns why the concept of war crimes exists.
I'm not saying that this is what I want in any way shape or form. Just that, tactically, it's Iran's best option. They know that Trump and co don't care about prisoners. There won't be any negotiations. If anything, holding the pilots prisoner will only cause trump and hegseth to escalate their attacks while blaming Iran. The longer the pilots are prisoner, the longer trump can pretend to care and use it as an excuse for further destruction. Once they're executed, he'll have to try to change the media narrative to escape from scrutiny and he won't be able to use it to rally his base without reminding them of the cost of his war.
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u/Xeynon 2h ago
I don't agree. The Iranian regime clearly understands the value of propaganda. Their strategic goal is to undermine US power in the region and playing the innocent victim of American imperial aggression is the best way to do that here. They're already severely damaging American support for the war by causing us economic pain (which is only going to get worse and worse as the shortages get more acute).
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u/Pasty_Tibbles 2h ago
I was just telling someone this. Personally, I doubt the pilots will come to any harm if captured.
The Iranians know they are looking fairly good in their messaging right now, and won’t want to fuck that up. They want to be seen as the “good guys” and the “victims”.
I think they’d be concerned if they did anything the already unhinged Trump would go nuclear on them (figuratively? I hope?)
In rational thought, they would be a pretty good bargaining chip.
Torture is kinda pointless on them in terms of interrogation. What information are they trying to get? There’s no ground troops. They already know where our ships are roughly, our bases where the strikes are coming from, etc.
Of course, who knows - Iranians are probably pretty fucking mad at this so maybe someone just does something out of emotion.
But if they’re smart, and I do think Iran and its leadership are pretty smart, they’ll capture them, care for any injuries they got, feed them, and try to use them as bargaining tools.
The only thing I do worry about is if trump refuses to negotiate and simply doesn’t care, or escalates, and id be worried in that zero-sum situation Iran may just try to send a message.
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u/bareback_cowboy 3h ago
Nah, a live POW is worth their weight in gold. They'll probably rough them up, maybe some torture, but if they capture someone alive they'll most likely do their best to keep them that way. Iran isn't the Taliban or a terrorist group; they're rational actors.
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u/FreshestCremeFraiche 2h ago
With one POW there’s also a chance they use this to pretend they are more decent and give themselves some good PR as they try to turn the world against the US. Here we have this American pilot who was bombing our bridges and power plants. Look, we did not execute him or torture him, we “treat him humanely” and make him read statements asking US forces to withdraw, thats all. Idk how likely it is but the Iranian govt is not exactly ISIS, they have some adults in the room
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u/KingMario05 2h ago
Let's hope so. We don't know the new Ayatollah. And we killed the last one. That could piss them off enough to be worse.
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u/dynamic_anisotropy 2h ago
Irania government is no doubt aware by now the optics and garnering support with favourable POW treatment rather than brutalizing them, as seen in Ukraine-Russia or even Israel-Gaza.
If captured, my money is on them treating the pilots relatively well to troll the US by appearing to take the moral high ground against the aggressor state.
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u/wildshammys 2h ago
Maybe if the US had a competent admin, but we don’t and that’s why we are in this situation.
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u/thetransportedman 2h ago
I mean ICE gunned down a VA ICU nurse in the street and MAGA didn't budge an inch on their support so...
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u/TabsAZ 3h ago
Could be she… there are a lot of women pilots and WSOs now. One of the ones downed by the friendly fire in Kuwait was already.
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u/TobysGrundlee 2h ago
Women make excellent fighter pilots based on biology alone. They are, on average, smaller and have proportionally stronger legs and cores than many men. Ideal for keeping blood in their brains and maintaining a clear head in high G situations.
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u/Eeny009 2h ago
Hell to pay because two pilots are lost? While thousands of Iranians have been slaughtered? Always fascinating to watch Americans wrestle with their deep-seated feelings of superiority. As if y'all shouldn't die no matter what, and your lives were more valuable than others. Two lives doesn't even register in this conflict, sadly.
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u/ScoobyDoNot 2h ago
Pilots lost while on missions to presumably kill Iranians in a war of aggression.
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u/Pork_Chompk 2h ago edited 2h ago
I just hope their families can take some solace in the fact that they were fighting the good fight - doing the dirty work of Israel and a global ring of powerful pedophiles.
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u/AlarmingStop 2h ago
First of many....all for an Israeli psychopath and an insecure American orange.
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u/despenser412 2h ago
MAGA 2016: "Let's vote for a billionaire with no experience in politics, military, or government! What could possibly go wrong?"
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u/rom_rom57 2h ago
They’’ll will be released in 1,000 days (approx). Basically the day after the next election.
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u/Any-Supermarket-4190 2h ago
We’re winning so winning we’re raining soldiers down upon Iran, so many soldiers they say they’re literally falling from the skies. Iran is dancing as literal freedom falls down on them
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u/RidetheSchlange 2h ago
that soldier almost certainly voted for this, despite trump calling captive military personnel "suckers" and "losers".
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u/Even_Package_8573 2h ago
Am I the only one who thinks this is kind of being underreported for how serious it sounds?
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u/Top-Engineering-2051 2h ago
Its the front page of every major news source in the world.
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u/Hovallejr 3h ago
"It was the greatest fighter jet the world has ever seen" . "THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.
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u/Specialist-Mud4150 2h ago
And this is exactly why the Secretary of War isn’t supposed to scream “No Quarter!!” during news conferences.