According to The New York Times, a “second Air Force combat plane” crashed in the “Persian Gulf region” on Friday. “The lone pilot was safely rescued, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters,” the outlet stated. SECOND US PLANE CRASHED IN PERSIAN GULF REGION EARLIER: NYT The A-10 Warthog attack plane went down near the Strait of Hormuz about the same time that an Air Force F-15E was shot down over Iran; the lone pilot was safely rescued: NYT — zerohedge (@zerohedge) April 3, 2026 The New York Times wrote: The A-10 Warthog attack plane went down near the Strait of Hormuz about the same time that an Air Force F-15E was shot down over Iran, the officials said. In that incident, one crew member was rescued and search-and-rescue operators are looking for the second airman. Officials provided scant details about the A-10 crash, including how and where it happened. Israel is assisting with intelligence in the search for the second pilot from the downed F-15E. Fox News provided coverage: BREAKING: President Trump is in the White House ALL HANDS ON DECK monitoring the search and rescue in Iran Israel is also assisting the US with intelligence to find the second US fighter pilot downed by Iran Pull out every stop for our lone hero on enemy soil pic.twitter.com/TzXCE9F6PB — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 3, 2026 CBS News shared further: U.S. officials told CBS News the F-15E was shot down by Iranian forces. Earlier in the day, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard claimed it shot down a U.S. fighter jet over the middle of the country. Photos and video were circulating on social media, shared by Iranian state news outlets, suggesting at least one U.S. C-130 aircraft and two Black Hawk helicopters were spotted flying low over central and southwest Iran in what was described as a possible effort to locate and recover the crew. CBS News reported earlier this week that the U.S. military had lost at least 16 MQ-9 Reaper drones over Iran since the war began, and three U.S. F-15 fighter jets were shot down over Kuwait in a “friendly fire incident” early in the conflict, but there were no casualties. The downing of the jet Friday comes after repeated assertions by President Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and military commanders of U.S. air superiority that largely deprived Iran of attack capabilities and air defenses during the war. “Now in our fifth week of the campaign, it is my operational assessment that we are making undeniable progress. We don’t see their navy sailing. We don’t see their aircraft flying, and their air and missile defense systems have largely been destroyed,” CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said Thursday.