First in 20 years: US military aircraft hit in Iran war by enemy fire

Iran shooting down two American military aircraft marks an exceedingly rare assault for the US that has not happened in more than 20 years and shows the Islamic Republic's continued ability to hit back despite President Donald Trump asserting it has been “completely decimated”.

The attacks came five weeks after US and Israeli strikes first pounded Iran, with Trump saying earlier this week that Tehran's “ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed”.

Iran shot down a US F15-E Strike Eagle fighter jet on Friday (3 April), with one service member getting rescued and a search still underway for a second, US officials say. Iranian state media, quoted by Associated Press, also said a US A-10 attack aircraft crashed after being hit by Iranian defence forces.

The last time a US fighter jet was shot down in combat was an A-10 Thunderbolt II during the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, said retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell, a former F-16 fighter pilot.

But, he said, that's because the US had largely been fighting insurgents who didn't have the same anti-aircraft capabilities. The fact that there have not been more fighter jets lost in Iran, Cantwell said, is a testament to the capabilities of US forces.

"The fact that this hasn't happened until now is an absolute miracle,” said Cantwell, who served four combat tours and is now a senior resident fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. “We're flying combat missions here, they are being shot at every day.”

US Central Command said in a statement earlier this week that American forces have flown more than 13,000 missions in the Iran war while striking more than 12,300 targets.

After more than a month of punishing US-Israeli airstrikes, a degraded Iranian military nonetheless remains a stubborn foe. Its steady stream of strikes against Israel and Gulf Arab neighbours has been causing regional upheaval and global economic shock.