The two-person crew managed to eject. One crew member was rescued by American special forces in Iranian territory. The other is being sought by the entire American military apparatus, and Iranian state television promises a reward to anyone who finds him and hands him over to the police. A message also appeared on the screen: “Shoot if you see them.” It’s Holy Saturday – in America, families are preparing Easter baskets, while over Iran, a rescue operation is underway that could change the dynamics of the entire conflict.
What happened
An F-15E Strike Eagle – a two-seat attack fighter manufactured by Boeing, one of the most powerful aircraft in the US Air Force arsenal – was hit by Iranian fire over a province in central Iran. According to an analysis by Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London, wreckage photos published by Iranian state media indicate markings of the 494th Fighter Squadron, stationed at RAF Lakenheath in the UK.
Both crew members – the pilot and the weapon systems officer – ejected. American special forces located one of them in Iranian territory and evacuated him alive. The other remains missing. The rescue operation continues – according to NBC News, a Black Hawk helicopter involved in the search was also hit by Iranian fire but managed to leave Iranian airspace and land. The crew is injured but alive.
In a separate incident on the same day, Iran hit a second American aircraft – an A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, known as the “Warthog.” The pilot managed to fly out of Iranian airspace, ejected over Kuwait, and was rescued. The aircraft crashed and was destroyed.
Iranian TV: “Shoot if you see them”
Iranian state television broadcast an appeal to the civilian population, urging residents to search for the American pilot. The governor of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, according to the ISNA agency, announced a reward for anyone who captures the crew and hands them over to the authorities. A message also appeared on the screen calling for shooting at potential pilots – an unprecedented step that shows the desperation of the Iranian regime and, at the same time, the danger awaiting the missing American.
The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf – who emerged as a strongman of the regime after the death of Ayatollah Khamenei – mocked the Americans on platform X: “After defeating Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant war without strategy has just been downgraded from ‘regime change’ to ‘Hey! Can someone find our pilots? Please?'” Ghalibaf also indirectly threatened to block the Bab el-Mandeb strait between Yemen and Africa – the second key point on the maritime oil route.
Trump: “This is war”
President Donald Trump, in a brief phone interview with NBC News, refused to comment on the details of the rescue operation but assured that the downing of the aircraft would not affect potential negotiations with Iran. “No, in no way. This is war. We are at war,” he said. On his Truth Social platform, he did not directly address the F-15 downing, writing instead about Iranian oil: “Keep the oil, anyone?”
Neither the Pentagon nor the US Central Command (CENTCOM) have issued an official statement. Information about the downing comes from officials quoted anonymously by NBC News, Axios, CNN, Washington Post, and New York Times.
Update: A race against time (April 4)
On Saturday morning, the situation of the missing airman remains critical. According to the latest reports, the second crew member – the weapon systems officer – has an “evading” status, meaning he is hiding in enemy territory, avoiding capture by Iranian forces conducting an intensive manhunt in the crash area. American HC-130J Combat King II rescue aircraft are supporting the search from the air.
The situation for the rescuers is equally dramatic. Not one, but two American HH-60 rescue helicopters were fired upon during the search operation. Recordings of Iranian police firing small arms at low-flying aircraft appeared on social media. Rescuers sustained injuries, but both helicopters managed to return to base. The A-10 Thunderbolt broadcast emergency code 7700 over the Persian Gulf – the pilot kept the damaged aircraft in the air long enough to reach Kuwait, where he ejected.
According to news agencies, US and Israeli forces have temporarily suspended airstrikes in areas crucial for the rescue operation – to avoid endangering the missing pilot or the search team.
At the same time, reinforcements are flowing into the Persian Gulf region: approximately 7,500 Marines and a rapid reaction brigade from the 82nd Airborne Division are joining over 50,000 American soldiers already present in the Middle East. Analysts state directly: securing the Strait of Hormuz and the oil fields may require ground operations. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth – who a few days ago claimed that Iran had exhausted its military capabilities – is now facing the question of how an advanced American fighter could be shot down by an adversary who “can’t do anything.”
Six weeks of war: a summary
The US and Israel’s war with Iran has been ongoing since February 28, 2026. So far, thirteen American soldiers have died – including six in a tanker aircraft crash over Iraq and three in a friendly fire incident over Kuwait, where three F-15s were shot down by their own forces. The total toll of the conflict in the Middle East is approaching five thousand casualties.
Iranian shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains paralyzed, oil prices are hitting records, and supplies of fertilizers, grain, and LNG to Europe and Asia are threatened. The UN Security Council is working on a resolution regarding the protection of shipping through Hormuz, but Russia, China, and France have raised objections.
What this means for the Polish diaspora
The downing of the F-15 is a moment when the war with Iran ceases to be an abstract conflict on the other side of the world and becomes personal. Somewhere in central Iran – on Holy Saturday – an American soldier awaits rescue, and Iranian television calls on the population to capture him. In Polish churches in New York, Chicago, and New Jersey, the faithful bless baskets and pray – perhaps it’s worth adding one prayer today for this pilot, whose name we do not yet know, but who wears the flag of the same country we live in on his shoulder.
This war also directly concerns Poland. Three days ago, the United States asked Poland to provide Patriot batteries and PAC-3 MSE missiles to the Middle East – because interceptor stockpiles are running low. Poland refused. But pressure will grow – and the longer this war lasts, the more difficult the choices will be between defending Polish skies and the needs of the American ally.
Editorial Staff, Voice of Polonia in the USA
Read also: USA wants Polish Patriots in the Middle East – Poland refuses
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