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U.S. special forces rescue second F-15E airman after shootdown over Iran; two C-130s destroyed

U.S. special operations forces conducted a deep-penetration rescue inside Iran to recover the second crewmember of an F-15E shot down on April 3. The rescued weapons systems officer was wounded but expected to recover; two C-130s were destroyed on the ground during the complex operation.

Discovered 2026-04-04T21:18:48.525733-07:00 | 2026-04-04T21:18:48.525733-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • Confirms U.S. recovery of the second F-15E crewmember after the April 3 shootdown; the WSO was wounded but reported to be recovering and two C‑130s were destroyed on the ground, signalling tangible materiel losses.

  • Underscores the elevated operational risk and attrition tied to Operation Epic Fury and associated missions—this rescue follows a series of high-profile aircraft losses and strikes that have strained combat search-and-rescue, tanker and EW support (see Operation Epic Fury summary and the A‑10 loss during rescue operations).

Reported By

air-cosmos.com war.gov the-independent.com The Independent sofrep.com Wall Street Journal
Sources Tracked
84
First Seen
2026-04-04T21:18:48.525733-07:00
Latest Update
2026-04-08T11:36:14.758240-07:00
Coverage
Defense

Sources

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