Iran displays wreckage of downed U.S. F-15E fighter jet

Details have emerged regarding how Iran downed a United States F-15E Strike Eagle, valued at over $60 million, during an incident in southern Iran in April. According to U.S. military officials, Iran utilized a drone swarm to provide critical intelligence, including the aircraft's GPS location, speed, and flight direction. This data allowed Iran to target the jet with a shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile. The F-15E crew reported that the aircraft's protection system issued an alert only half a second before impact, leaving insufficient time to evade.

Following the shootdown, both American pilots were rescued in high-stakes operations. One pilot was extracted the same day via military helicopters, though the rescue mission faced small arms fire, resulting in several casualties. The second pilot was rescued two days later following an intensive combat search and rescue operation involving approximately 200 special operations soldiers.

In Iran, state media has displayed the wreckage of the F-15E as part of an exhibition to claim victory in recent conflicts. The wreckage, identified by its serial number as belonging to the 48th Fighter Wing, is being exhibited alongside parts of MQ-9 and MQ-1 drones and an Israeli Hermes 900 drone.