A-10 Warthog crashes near Strait of Hormuz

A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II reportedly crashed Friday near the Strait of Hormuz at around the same time an F-15E fighter jet was shot down in Iran .

The A-10 pilot was subsequently rescued, two U.S. officials told The New York Times .

Iranian state media stated the A-10 was targeted in southern waters near the strait.

Reports of the A-10 going down Friday followed confirmation that a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle had been shot down by enemy fire.

One of two F-15E crew members had reportedly been rescued as of Friday afternoon. A search for the second crew member was ongoing.

Search-and-rescue efforts were launched in the immediate aftermath of the fighter jet crash, with videos circulating on social media appearing to show a low-flying U.S. Air Force HC-130 refueling a pair of HH-60G Pave Hawks over Iran.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday told Military Times “the president has been briefed” on the downed U.S. F-15E fighter jet.

The Pentagon and U.S. Central Command have not yet responded to requests for comment.

Iranian state media on Friday shared images of aircraft debris alongside claims that Iran had downed a U.S. F-35 fighter jet.

However, images of the aircraft’s tailfin, specifically the red stripe on its vertical stabilizer, are consistent with markings used by the 494th Fighter Squadron , 48th Fighter Wing, based at RAF Lakenheath.

Iran also shared an image of an Advanced Concept Ejection Seat allegedly from the shot down F-15E.

The shoot-down of the F-15E marks the first time during Operation Epic Fury that a manned U.S. aircraft has been brought down by enemy fire.

A U.S. F-35 fighter jet was reportedly hit by enemy fire during a combat mission over Iran on March 19, but was able to make an emergency landing at a U.S. air base in the region.

Six U.S. airmen were killed on March 12 when their KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq during combat operations.

On March 1, three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were shot down by a Kuwaiti F/A-18 in a friendly fire incident. All six F-15 crew members ejected and were safely recovered.

The A-10, meanwhile, has seen an increased role since the start of the Iran war . The attack aircraft has joined maritime interdiction operations, among other missions, along the southern edges of the conflict, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fast-attack watercraft in the Strait of Hormuz, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said last month.

Military Times reporter Michael Scanlon contributed to this report.

J.D. Simkins is Editor-in-Chief of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.

据报道，一架美国空军A-10“雷电II”攻击机于周五在霍尔木兹海峡附近坠毁，几乎与此同时，一架F-15E战斗机在伊朗被击落。

据《纽约时报》报道，两名美国官员透露，A-10飞行员随后获救。

伊朗国家媒体称，这架A-10战机在海峡附近的南部水域遭到袭击。

周五，A-10 战机坠毁的报道证实，一架美国空军 F-15E 攻击鹰战机被敌方火力击落。

据报道，截至周五下午，两名F-15E战斗机机组人员中已有一人获救，对另一名机组人员的搜救工作仍在进行中。

战斗机坠毁后，立即展开了搜救行动。社交媒体上流传的视频显示，一架低空飞行的美国空军 HC-130 正在伊朗上空为两架 HH-60G 铺路鹰直升机加油。

白宫新闻秘书卡罗琳·莱维特周五告诉《军事时报》，“总统已经听取了”有关美国F-15E战斗机被击落的简报。

五角大楼和美国中央司令部尚未回应置评请求。

伊朗国家媒体周五发布了飞机残骸的图片，并声称伊朗击落了一架美国F-35战斗机。

然而，飞机尾翼的图像，特别是垂直尾翼上的红色条纹，与驻扎在莱肯希思皇家空军基地的第 48 战斗机联队第 494 战斗机中队使用的标志一致。

伊朗还分享了一张据称来自被击落的 F-15E 战斗机的先进概念弹射座椅的图片。

F-15E 的被击落标志着“史诗狂怒行动”期间，美军有人驾驶飞机首次被敌方火力击落。

据报道，3月19日，一架美国F-35战斗机在伊朗上空执行作战任务时遭到敌方火力击中，但成功在该地区的一个美国空军基地紧急降落。

3月12日，一架KC-135加油机在伊拉克西部执行作战任务时坠毁，造成6名美国空军飞行员丧生。

3月1日，三架美国F-15E“攻击鹰”战斗机在一次友军误击事件中被一架科威特F/A-18战斗机击落。机上六名F-15机组人员全部弹射逃生，并安全获救。

与此同时，自伊朗战争爆发以来，A-10攻击机的作用日益增强。美国参谋长联席会议主席丹·凯恩将军上个月表示，这种攻击机已参与到冲突南部边缘的海上拦截行动以及其他任务中，目标是霍尔木兹海峡的伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队快速攻击艇。

《军事时报》记者迈克尔·斯坎伦对本报道亦有贡献。

JD Simkins 是《军事时报》和《防务新闻》的总编辑，也是参加过伊拉克战争的海军陆战队老兵。