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Jet
Shootdown
Undercuts
U.S.
Claims
of
‘Decimated’
Iranian
Forces
Daoud
Al-Jaber
- Middle
East
Affairs
Analysis
Tell Us
Worldwide
News
Network
TEHRAN —
Iran’s
Islamic
Revolutionary
Guard
Corps
(IRGC)
said
Friday
that its
Aerospace
Force
shot
down a
U.S. Air
Force
F‑15E
Strike
Eagle
over
southwestern
Iran,
claiming
the
interception
was
carried
out with
a
previously
undisclosed
domestically
built
air‑defense
system.
State
media
outlets
Fars and
Tasnim
quoted a
spokesperson
for the
Khatam
al‑Anbia
Central
Headquarters
as
saying
the
“modern”
system
locked
onto the
aircraft
during
an
overnight
mission.
Iranian
officials
initially
described
the jet
as an
F‑35,
but
images
later
released
by the
IRGC —
showing
a
vertical
stabilizer
marked
with an
“LN”
tail
code and
the 48th
Fighter
Wing
insignia
—
confirmed
it was
an F‑15E
based at
RAF
Lakenheath.
Iran
Highlights
“New”
Air‑Defense
Capability
In a
statement
on Sepah
News,
the IRGC
called
the
shootdown
a major
achievement
for
Iran’s
defense
industry.
Officials
said the
new
system
uses
advanced
tracking
and
electronic‑warfare
tools
designed
to
counter
high‑performance
Western
aircraft.
“The era
of
American
aerial
transgressions
without
consequence
has
ended,”
the
statement
said,
though
the IRGC
did not
identify
the
system
or
release
technical
details.
Fate
of the
U.S.
Crew
The
F‑15E
typically
carries
a pilot
and a
weapons
systems
officer.
Information
about
the crew
remains
unsettled:
•
Rescue
Efforts:
U.S.
officials
said a
combat
search‑and‑rescue
mission
was
launched
immediately.
One crew
member
has been
recovered
and is
in
stable
condition.
•
Missing
Personnel:
The
second
crew
member’s
status
is
unclear.
Iranian
state TV
broadcast
messages
urging
civilians
to
capture
“enemy
pilots,”
while
Tasnim
reported
that one
individual
may
already
be in
Iranian
custody.
• Search
Operations:
Widely
shared
videos
appear
to show
U.S.
HC‑130J
and
HH‑60
aircraft
flying
low over
the
region.
One
rescue
helicopter
reportedly
took
ground
fire but
landed
safely.
Pentagon
and
International
Response
The
Pentagon
has not
issued a
formal
public
statement,
but
defense
officials
speaking
anonymously
confirmed
the
aircraft
was “hit
by
hostile
fire.”
This is
the
first
confirmed
loss of
a crewed
U.S.
combat
aircraft
over
Iran
since
the
conflict
began
five
weeks
ago.
The
incident
comes
days
after a
forceful
address
by
President
Donald
Trump,
who said
the U.S.
had
“completely
decimated”
Iran’s
military
infrastructure.
Analysts
note
that if
Iran’s
claim of
a new
air‑defense
system
is
accurate,
it
suggests
parts of
the
IRGC’s
mobile
network
remain
functional
despite
sustained
U.S. and
Israeli
strikes.
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