At least 7 US aircraft downed in war against Iran — CNN
The most recently downed aircraft were an F-15 and an A-10 (photo: Getty Images)
The US military operation against Iran has been ongoing for more than a month. During this time, American forces have lost at least seven aircraft, according to CNN.
Timeline of losses
The first US losses occurred on March 2, when three F-15 fighter jets were shot down by Kuwaiti air defense systems in a "friendly fire" incident directly over Kuwait.
All six crew members ejected safely. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth this week confirmed that one of the pilots has returned to combat operations over Iran.
About a week and a half later, on March 12, a KC-135 jet tanker crashed, killing all six crew members.
US forces stated that the tanker was not shot down by enemy or friendly fire, and the crash was caused by a collision with another aircraft during the operation. The second aircraft landed safely.
At the end of the month, on March 27, a US Air Force E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control aircraft was destroyed on the runway during an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
According to CNN, at least 10 American service members were injured in the attack, and a US Air Force tanker aircraft was also damaged.
In addition, last month, a US F-35 fighter made an emergency landing at a Middle East base after reportedly being fired upon by Iranian forces.
The most recent losses, on April 3, involved an F-15 and an A-10. The F-15 was shot down over Iran, while the A-10 was damaged by air defense fire during the operation, including a mission to rescue the crew of the downed F-15. The A-10 made it to allied territory in Kuwait, where the pilot ejected.
Negotiations, crew rescue
Earlier, US President Donald Trump confirmed the downing of the F-15 but emphasized that it would not change the US's approach to negotiations with Iran.
It is also worth noting that one pilot ejected and was later found. The fate of the second remained unknown until today, when Trump announced that the second pilot had also been located.
