A-10 Crashes in Gulf After F-15E Downed Over Iran
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- A US A-10 Thunderbolt II crashed near the Strait of Hormuz on Friday and its lone pilot was rescued, according to two US officials who spoke to the New York Times on condition of anonymity.
- Iranian state media claimed the country's air defense system targeted the 'enemy' A-10 in southern waters near the Strait of Hormuz, though US officials have not confirmed that account.
- The A-10 incident follows the downing of a US F-15E Strike Eagle over Iran, where one of two crew members has been rescued while search efforts — and competing claims about Iranian custody — continue for the second.
- Iran's governor of a southwestern province announced a reward for anyone who captures or kills the American pilot who ejected from the F-15E, with state media also urging civilians to help shoot down aircraft.
- US Central Command reports 13 US military service members have been killed in the conflict so far, with more than 300 wounded and no US troops taken prisoner by Iran.
- Iran has previously made unsubstantiated claims about downing piloted aircraft, but state media's unprecedented public call to search for a suspected downed pilot marks a departure from those earlier instances.
Why it matters: The loss of two US combat aircraft in a single day — one confirmed downed over Iranian territory and another crashing in the Gulf — signals mounting aerial pressure on American forces at a moment when 13 troops have already been killed and over 300 wounded. Iran's public bounty on a US pilot, combined with its grip on the Strait of Hormuz through which roughly a fifth of global oil and gas flows, raises the stakes for both military escalation and energy supply disruption.
