The pilot of DUDE44, the F-15E Strike Eagle downed over Iran, was reportedly additionally one of many pilots who had been shot down by Kuwaiti pleasant fireplace within the opening days of Operation Epic Fury.
In a really uncommon prevalence, it seems that the pilot of the U.S. Air Power F-15E Strike Eagle shot down over Iran was additionally one of many pilots of the three F-15Es that had been shot down in a pleasant fireplace incident over Kuwait within the early days of Operation Epic Fury. The 2 incidents occurred only a month aside.
The story was first reported by The Excessive Facet, citing present and former Air Power officers, on June 2, 2026. In a while the identical day, CBS Information additionally reported on this, citing two folks conversant in the incidents. The Air Power and the U.S. Central Command didn’t present feedback on this to media.
The Excessive Facet additionally talked about that the F-15E’s Weapon Programs Officer (WSO) sustained accidents due to a malfunction of the parachute, which did not correctly open after the ejection. Opposite to the pilot, rescued hours later, the WSO was rescued after an enormous Fight Search and Rescue effort which lasted two days.
A pilot being shot down and safely ejecting two occasions throughout the identical battle is a uncommon prevalence. There are reported related instances, nevertheless they go a long time again.
“It’s a extremely uncommon coincidence,” mentioned Retired Air Power Lt. Gen. David Deptula, the Dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Research, when interviewed by CBS Information. Deptula mentioned that the final time this occurred might be probably way back to the Vietnam Battle.
Mar. 2 Pleasant Hearth
On Mar. 2, 2026, three F-15E Strike Eagles of the U.S. Air Power had been shot down in a pleasant fireplace incident over Kuwait. All six aircrew ejected safely and had been recovered, with some helped by Kuwaiti nationals on the bottom whereas ready for the rescue forces to reach.
In line with particulars gathered from photographs, at the least one of many crews was assigned to the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina. Photographs from the supposed crash web site of one of many three plane confirmed the markings of a Strike Eagle assigned to the forty eighth Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, UK.
CENTCOM mentioned on the time that the plane had been concerned in energetic fight and had been mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses. Days later, experiences attributed the duty to a Kuwait Air Power F/A-18.
In line with a report from the Wall Road Journal, which quoted an unnamed U.S. official, “one F/A-18 pilot launched three missiles towards the U.S. plane.” A second official talked about that this occurred quickly after a number of Iranian drones entered Kuwaiti airspace.
There are nonetheless many lacking items to this story, which could not emerge for a very long time. The primary, and most vital one, is why the F-15Es weren’t recognized by the Kuwaiti pilot earlier than firing.
Apr. 3 Shootdown Over Iran
Within the early morning of Apr. 3, 2026, an F-15E Strike Eagle, with callsign DUDE44 and reportedly assigned to RAF Lakenheath, was struck by enemy fireplace over Iran. On the time, U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned the Iranians “received fortunate” with a shoulder-fired heat-seeking missile.
In a while, new experiences emerged saying {that a} Chinese language-made shoulder-fired Man-Transportable Air Protection System (MANPADS) might be the wrongdoer. The weapon was allegedly a part of the Chinese language shipments to Iran within the early days of the conflict.
Instantly after the shootdown, upon affirmation of the rescue beacons had been energetic, a rescue mission was launched. Each the pilot and the weapon system officer (WSO) safely ejected, however they had been remoted in hostile territory.
Inside hours, after positively finding the pilot, a CSAR activity pressure made from 21 plane, together with A-10C Thunderbolt IIs, HC-130J Fight King IIs and HH-60W Jolly Inexperienced IIs, in addition to Fight Rescue Officers and Pararescuemen operators, was launched. The mission noticed them flying into Iranian airspace for hours in broad daylight.
In the meantime, a fighter strike bundle protected the duty pressure. Amongst them had been remotely piloted plane and the A-10Cs, flying within the Sandy function, because the CSAR help mission is usually referred to as.
The helicopters had been capable of safely extract the pilot, though they had been additionally hit by hostile fireplace. An A-10C was additionally broken, with the pilot ejecting as soon as over pleasant territory as he “decided the airplane was not landable.”
The rescue of the WSO required a bigger effort, which finally succeeded after 36 hours behind enemy traces. The WSO was injured following the ejection and actively evading seize earlier than having the ability to make contact with U.S. forces.
The second rescue mission was then launched, with 155 plane concerned. Amongst these had been “4 bombers, 64 fighters, 48 refueling tankers, and 13 rescue plane,” mentioned Trump.
Two MC-130 Commando II plane then landed on “moist and sandy” terrain. Three A/MH-6 Little Chicken helicopters had been unloaded and inside minutes had been flying in direction of the target to extract the WSO.
Nonetheless, following the extraction, the MC-130s had been caught and couldn’t take off once more. C-295Ws from the AFSOC’s secretive 427th Particular Operations Squadron had been referred to as in, and the MC-130s and Little Birds had been thus destroyed on web site to keep away from delicate gear falling into enemy palms.
