Two US jets shot down by Iran, one crew member rescued, one missing

Washington, Apr 4: Two United States of America (USA) fighter jets were shot down in Iran and Middle East on Friday and one of two crew members was rescued, officials have said.

Iran shot down a US F15-E Strike Eagle fighter jet Friday, with one service member getting rescued and the search still underway for a second, US officials say.

Iranian state media also said a US A-10 attack aircraft crashed after being hit by Iranian defence forces.

The downing marked a major escalation in the conflict just two days after President Donald Trump said in a national address that the US has "beaten and completely decimated Iran" and was "going to finish the job, and we're going to finish it very fast."

Iran shooting down two American military aircraft marks an exceedingly rare assault for the US that has not happened in more than 20 years and shows the Islamic Republic's continued ability to hit back despite President Donald Trump asserting it has been "completely decimated."

The attacks came five weeks after US and Israeli strikes first pounded Iran, with Trump saying earlier this week that Tehran's "ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed."

The last time a US fighter jet was shot down in combat was an A-10 Thunderbolt II during the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, said retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell, a former F-16 fighter pilot.

But, he said, that's because the US had largely been fighting insurgents who didn't have the same anti-aircraft capabilities. The fact that there have not been more fighter jets lost in Iran, Cantwell said, is a testament to the capabilities of US forces.

"The fact that this hasn't happened until now is an absolute miracle," said Cantwell, who served four combat tours and is now a senior resident fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. "We're flying combat missions here, they are being shot at every day."

US Central Command had said in a statement Wednesday that American forces have flown more than 13,000 missions in the Iran war while striking more than 12,300 targets.

The last US jet shot down in combat was struck by an Iraqi surface-to-air missile over Baghdad on April 8, 2003. The pilot safely ejected and was rescued, according to the Air Force.

In high-threat environments like missions over Iran, Cantwell, said an aviator's blood pressure goes up and they become highly alert to incoming missiles. Those are typically either infrared- or radar-guided missiles, he said, requiring different evasive tactics.

If they are hit and need to eject from their aircraft, they are trained on what to do next, he said.

The planes that went down Friday were not the first crewed American aircraft to be lost overall in Iran.

A military helicopter and airplane exploded in 1980 during an aborted mission to rescue several dozen American hostages at the US embassy in Tehran, according to the Air Force Historical Support Division.

After a series of setbacks, including severe dust storms and mechanical failures, the mission was called off. As the aircraft took off, the rotor blades of one of the RH-53 helicopters collided with an EC-130 aircraft full of fuel and both exploded, killing eight.

More US helicopters have been shot down in recent decades, including a MH-47 Army Chinook helicopter that was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan in 2005, killing 16. Helicopters are more dangerous because "the lower and the slower, the more susceptible you are," Cantwell said.

That's why those who went out on this week's rescue missions, likely in helicopters, he said, did "such a brave and honourable act."

AP