F-15 crash update: Hours after US media outlets reported that an F-15, not F-35 stealth fighter, was shot down by Iran on Friday, the Iran Consulate in Mumbai posted photos of what it claimed to be the fighter jet’s ‘invisible seat’. Meanwhile, Iranian state media aired footage of aircraft wreckage.
Latest update on crew members
CBS News and Axios cited sources to report that one of the two crew members on the plane had been rescued. The search for the other one was ongoing at the time of writing this story. Reports stated that the two ejected after being shot.
According to The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, the plane was an F-15E fighter, which is crewed by a pilot and a weapons-systems officer in the back seat.
Iran Consulate mocks US
A social media post by the Consulate General of the Iran in Mumbai mocked the crash. The handle shared an image of what appeared to be a seat and the shadow of a person clicking the photgraph.
“Who was looking for this? Turns out the ‘invisible’ seat wasn’t so invisible after all. Of course, for security reasons, the fate of the pilot can’t be revealed… but isn’t it obvious?” the post on X, platform formerly known as Twitter, read.
CNN reported that analysis of what Iranian media said were photos of the wreckage showed an F-15, rather than an F-35 stealth fighter, as claimed in some Iranian reports.
William Goodhind, a forensic imagery analyst with Contested Ground, said images of the plane’s tail fin seen in photos posted on social media are consistent with that of an F-15E Strike Eagle.
US media reported that President Donald Trump had been briefed on the situation. The Pentagon and CENTCOM are yet to issue a statement.
Iran’s message to civilians
Iranian officials called on civilians to be on the lookout for survivors and have flooded social media with images that purport to show wreckage from the aircraft.
The governor of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province said anyone who captured or killed the crew ‘would be specially commended’, Iran’s semi-official news agency ISNA reported.
US casualties in Iran war
Officials have confirmed that 13 US military service members have been killed in the conflict and more than 300 have been wounded.
While Trump has repeatedly sought to portray the Iranian military as defeated, Reuters has reported on US intelligence showing Iran retains large amounts of missile and drone capability.
(With Reuters inputs)
