According to a report by Sky News, on Friday April 3, 2026, Iranian forces struck four United States military aircraft in a single day — downing two and damaging two more — just hours after President Donald Trump declared in a primetime address that Iran had been “completely decimated,” a U.S. official confirmed to NBC News partner network.
The first aircraft lost was an F-15 fighter jet, which was downed by Iranian fire under circumstances that prompted an immediate search and rescue operation. A second aircraft, a single-pilot A-10 Thunderbolt — widely known by its military nickname, the Warthog — was subsequently dispatched to support that rescue effort. That aircraft was also struck by Iranian fire. Despite the hit, the A-10 pilot managed to guide the aircraft into Kuwaiti airspace before ejecting. The pilot survived and is confirmed safe. The A-10 came down in Kuwait.
Iran’s military activity on that day extended further. Two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, also deployed as part of the search and rescue response, were struck by Iranian fire. The official confirmed minor injuries among service members involved in those strikes, but all personnel are reported to have survived without life-threatening harm.
Taken together, the events of that single day represent a striking demonstration of sustained Iranian military capability — four U.S. aircraft engaged, two of them crashed, two personnel rescue missions compromised, and service members injured, all within one operational period.
The timing adds a sharp political dimension to the military developments. President Trump had, less than 48 hours earlier, stood before the nation and characterised Iran as having been “completely decimated.” The events that followed paint a sharply different picture of Iran’s operational capacity and willingness to engage American forces directly.
No comprehensive official statement has been released by the Pentagon at the time of reporting. Details of the incidents are continuing to emerge through official briefings to media partners, and the situation on the ground remains active. Military and government officials are understood to be assessing next steps in light of the scale and speed of Iran’s strikes against U.S. assets. Read_More…