A second U.S. Air Force combat aircraft has reportedly crashed near the Strait of Hormuz just hours after a fighter jet was lost in the Persian Gulf region.
According to officials who spoke to the New York Times on condition of anonymity, an A‑10 Warthog attack plane crashed on Friday near the Strait of Hormuz. This came just hours after an F‑15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iranian territory.
The A‑10’s lone pilot was safely rescued, but the F‑15E’s two‑person crew remains unaccounted for. One airman was recovered in a high‑risk mission, while search teams continue to scour southwestern Iran for the second.
The twin incidents come amid heightened U.S. operations in the Gulf and highlight the intensifying confrontation between Washington and Tehran.
A‑10 crash adds to F‑15E fighter jet loss
Officials provided few details about the A‑10 crash, including how and where it happened. The timing, however, coincided with the downing of the F‑15E Strike Eagle, which Iranian state media initially claimed was an advanced F‑35 destroyed by a new air defense system.
Aviation experts quickly identified the wreckage as belonging to the F‑15E, part of the U.S. Air Force’s 494th squadron based at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom.
Markings on the debris matched those of Strike Eagles normally stationed in Britain. U.S. officials later confirmed off the record that the aircraft had been brought down, though the Pentagon has yet to issue a formal statement.
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Footage filmed in southwestern Iran showed a U.S. C‑130 Hercules and an HH‑60 Pavehawk helicopter flying low, at one point refueling together mid‑mission. Geolocated video placed the aircraft near Behbahan in Khuzestan province, roughly 30 miles from the Gulf coast.
Iranian media and local figures have urged residents to capture “enemy pilots,” with one businessman offering a $60,000 reward for anyone delivering crew members alive. A provincial TV presenter echoed the call, promising rewards for those who handed over captured Americans.
The possibility of U.S. personnel falling into Iranian custody has heightened tensions. So far, no American troops have been taken prisoner, but the uncertainty surrounding the missing airman has added urgency to the search.
Escalation
The twin aircraft losses come amid a broader escalation of hostilities. Powerful blasts rocked northern Tehran late Thursday as Israel launched a new wave of strikes on the Iranian capital and Beirut.
Hours earlier, President Donald Trump claimed credit for an attack on a newly built suspension bridge linking Tehran and Karaj, which killed eight people and injured nearly 100.
“Our Military, the greatest and most powerful (by far!) anywhere in the World, hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!” Trump posted on social media, repeating threats to cripple Iran’s infrastructure.
International law experts have warned that such threats could constitute war crimes if carried out. More than 100 scholars signed a joint statement warning that attacks on energy and water facilities — essential to civilian survival — would violate humanitarian law.
Meanwhile, a power and desalination plant in Kuwait was damaged in a strike on Friday, with Iran blaming Israel. The Mina al‑Ahmadi refinery was also closed after a drone attack, prompting Britain to send a counter‑drone team to assist Kuwaiti defenses.
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The U.S. has already suffered significant losses in the campaign. Thirteen service members have been killed and 300 wounded, while damage to aircraft is estimated at more than $3 billion. That figure includes 16 uncrewed Reaper drones and three F‑15Es destroyed in a friendly‑fire incident by Kuwaiti air defenses on March 1.
An F‑15E costs $31 million when delivered in the late 1990s, with newer models priced closer to $100 million. The loss of another Strike Eagle, combined with the A‑10 crash, represents a major financial and operational setback.
Iranian leaders have seized on the incidents to ridicule Washington. Parliament speaker Mohammad‑Bagher Ghalibaf mocked the U.S. on social media.
“After defeating Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant no‑strategy war they started has now been downgraded from ‘regime change’ to: ‘Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please?’” he said.
Iranian outlets also circulated images of an ejector seat consistent with the ACES II type used in F‑15Es. If genuine, analysts said, the photos suggest at least one crew member ejected safely. Tasnim news agency later claimed a pilot had been taken into custody, though no evidence has emerged to support that assertion.
