{"id":206405,"date":"2026-04-04T03:06:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T03:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/second-us-military-jet-goes-down-pilot-rescued-live-updates-usa-today\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T03:06:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T03:06:22","slug":"second-us-military-jet-goes-down-pilot-rescued-live-updates-usa-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/second-us-military-jet-goes-down-pilot-rescued-live-updates-usa-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Second US military jet goes down, pilot rescued. Live updates. – USA Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

A second American warplane went down in the Persian Gulf region on Friday, multiple news outlets reported, as search operations continue for a crew member from a U.S. fighter jet that went down over Iran.
The A-10 Thunderbolt attack plane \u2013 commonly known as the Warthog \u2013 crashed and the lone pilot was rescued,<\/a> multiple news outlets reported, including the\u00a0New York Times<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0ABC News<\/a>, citing U.S. officials.
Earlier, an F-15E fighter jet went down<\/a> over Iran, triggering a search mission that led to the rescue of one of the two crew members, according to a U.S. official and media reports. A search and rescue operation remains ongoing for the second crew member, multiple news outlets reported.
President Donald Trump<\/a> has been briefed on the fighter jet, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to USA TODAY without providing additional details.
The developments come as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran approached its fifth week. Trump late Thursday threatened more strikes on Iran in a social media post<\/a>, as he ramped up pressure on Tehran to make a deal to end the war.
Christopher Cann
President Donald Trump\u2019s national security team has gathered at the White House, a senior White House official told USA TODAY, amid the ongoing search for a crew member aboard a U.S. fighter jet that went down over Iran on Friday.
Trump spent the day working in the Oval Office and received regular updates, the official said.
Christopher Cann
In an brief call with the British news outlet The Independent<\/a>, President Donald Trump said he\u2019s not ready to comment on what the U.S. would do if the missing crew member was harmed.
“Well, I can’t comment on it because \u2013 we hope that’s not going to happen,” Trump said.
In an earlier phone call with NBC News,<\/a> Trump refused to comment on the search and rescue operation but said it would not hinder negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.
A search remains ongoing for the second crew member aboard a U.S. fighter jet that was shot down Friday over Iran, multiple media outlets reported. The other pilot was rescued by U.S. forces, an official told USA TODAY.
Christopher Cann
A second U.S. military aircraft went down in the Persian Gulf region, multiple news outlets reported, including the New York Times<\/a> and ABC News<\/a>.
The A-10 attack jet crashed and the lone pilot was later rescued, the outlets reported, citing U.S. military officials. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On the same day, a F-15E fighter jet went down over Iran, sparking a search operation that led to the recovery of at least one crew member, according to a U.S. official and media reports.
Christopher Cann
Trump on Friday seemed to ask whether the U.S. should keep Iran’s oil as part of its war against the country.
“KEEP THE OIL, ANYONE?” Trump wrote on Truth Social<\/a>. It was the president’s first post since news began circulating about a downed fighter jet in Iran.
Hours earlier, Trump said the U.S. could open the Strait of Hormuz, “take the oil,” and “make a fortune.” These comments come after Trump suggested the U.S. may abandon its efforts to reopen the critical trade route.
Christopher Cann
President Donald Trump in an interview with NBC News<\/a> refused to discuss the ongoing search and rescue mission in Iran, but said it won’t affect negotiations.
“No, not at all. No, it\u2019s war. We\u2019re in war, Garrett,\u201d Trump said, according to NBC’s Garrett Haake.
The president also expressed frustration about some of the coverage of the sensitive military operation, NBC reported.
Natalie Neysa Alund
More than 3,500 people have been killed across the Middle East since the United States and Israel launched their attack on Iran on Feb. 28.
U.S.-based human rights group\u00a0HRANA<\/a> reported that, as of\u00a0Wednesday, April 1, there had been 1,212 military fatalities, 1,606 civilian fatalities \u2013 including 244 children \u2013 and an additional 709 unclassified fatalities.
The group\u2019s data is compiled through field reports, local contacts and open-source materials, according to its website.
At least 13 U.S. service members have been killed. Six died in a March 1 drone attack in Kuwait<\/a>, USA TODAY previously reported. Another\u00a0service member\u00a0was killed<\/a> in an attack in Saudi Arabia, and six others died<\/a> when their refueling tanker aircraft crashed in Iraq on March 12.
Swasti Singhai
In the early days of the Iran war, three other U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles \u2013 the same kind of plane that went down in Iran on Friday \u2013 were shot down over Kuwait in a friendly fire incident.
The episode occurred March 1 when Kuwaiti air defenses mistakenly shot down the planes during “active combat,” which included attacks from Iranian aircraft, missiles and drones, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)<\/a>.
All six crew members from the three planes ejected and were safely recovered, CENTCOM said.
Christopher Cann
House Minority Leader\u00a0Hakeem Jeffries said he is closely monitoring reports that an F-15 fighter jet has been “shot down in Iran.”
“Praying for the crew as well as the safety of all the troops involved in the search and rescue effort,” he said in a post on X<\/a>. “May God continue to watch over all our service members in harm’s way.”
Christopher Cann
U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-New York, said in a statement that he is “praying that the second pilot is found quickly” after an American fighter jet went down in Iran.
“Relieved to hear that one of the fighter jet pilots has been safely rescued\u2014an incredible testament to the bravery and speed of our rescue teams,” Lawler said on X<\/a>. “Praying that the second pilot is found quickly and brought home safe. Thinking of both of them and everyone working around the clock to make that happen.”
Swasti Singhai
The fighter jet that went down over Iran on April 3 was an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter, a two-seat combat aircraft.
The aircraft carries two crew members, a pilot and a weapon systems officer, according to the U.S. Air Force.<\/a> Previous models of the F-15 were designed for air-to-air roles; the “E” model is a dual-role fighter. It has the capability to fight its way to a target over long ranges, destroy enemy ground positions and fight its way out.
The F-15E model was first deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1991 and were operated primarily in the night, according to the U.S. Air Force website. Since then, F-15Es have been used for air expeditionary force deployments and operations, including the no-fly zone in Southern Iraq as well as in Turkey and Bosnia.
Three U.S. F-15Es were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses<\/a> in early March during the war with Iran.
Christopher Cann
The U.S. Embassy in Beirut urged citizens to leave Lebanon, citing threats from Iran-backed proxies to target American universities.
“The security situation in Lebanon is volatile and unpredictable.\u00a0Airstrikes,\u00a0drones\u00a0and rocket attacks\u00a0occur throughout the country, especially in the south, the Beqaa, and parts of Beirut,” the U.S. Embassy said in a security alert.\u00a0
“Iran and its aligned terrorist militias may intend to target universities in Lebanon,” the alert said.\u00a0“Iran has specifically threatened American universities across the Middle East.\u00a0If you are in the country, the Department of State urges U.S. citizens to\u00a0depart\u00a0Lebanon while commercial flight options\u00a0remain\u00a0available.”
Christopher Cann
President Donald Trump has been briefed on an American fighter jet that went down over Iran on Friday, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
\u201cThe President has been briefed,\u201d she said in a statement without providing additional details.
Cybele Mayes-Osterman
One crew member of a U.S. F-15E fighter jet that went down over Iran has been rescued, according to a U.S. official.
CBS News first reported<\/a> the crew member’s rescue.
The status of the other crew member in the two-seater fighter jet is unclear. News outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, have reported that a search and rescue operation is ongoing.
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy
With the war in Iran in its fifth week, President Donald Trump proposed increasing defense spending to $1.5 trillion in his 2027 budget, released on April 3.
In a letter submitting the president’s budget to Congress, Russell Vought, the director of the Office and Budget Management, wrote that the budget \u201cbuilds upon the historic $1 trillion topline provided for the national defense by requesting $1.5 trillion for 2027, a 44-percent increase<\/a>.\u201d
\u201cPresident Trump promised to reinvest in America\u2019s national security infrastructure, to make sure our Nation is safe in a dangerous world,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThe 2027 Budget upholds this promise and would ensure that the United States continues to maintain the world\u2019s most powerful and capable military.\u201d
The investments include the \u201cGolden Dome\u201d missile defense system, pay raise for the troops and \u201cbattle force ships.\u201d
The budget also proposes a 10%, or $73 billion cut, in non-defense spending compared to 2026 levels.
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy
Three days after saying the countries of Europe should \u201cgo get your own oil\u201d from the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump said on April 3 that the United States could “open” the vital corridor and “take the oil.”
“With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE. IT WOULD BE A ‘GUSHER’ FOR THE WORLD???” Trump said in a Truth Social post.<\/a>
He did not give an explanation of how he would do that.
The Strait of Hormuz<\/a> is waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, which provides the passage for 20% of the world’s total oil and liquefied natural gas. The strait has effectively blocked by Iran since the start of the war.
In a post on March 31, Trump encouraged the countries dependent on the strait to buy from the U.S.
\u201cWe have plenty,\u201d he wrote.
He also said that the \u201chard part\u201d<\/a> had been achieved by the U.S. by its fifth week of war in Iran, and asked European countries, whom he has criticized for not helping with war to \u00a0\u201cbuild up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.\u201d
Cybele Mayes-Osterman
A U.S. fighter jet went down over Iran, kicking off a search and rescue operation for the plane’s crew members, multiple news outlets reported on April 3.
It’s unclear if the service members on board are alive, and the U.S. military has mounted a search for them, according to the New York Times<\/a>, Reuters<\/a> and the Wall Street Journal<\/a>.
Reuters
The U.N. Security Council is to vote on a Bahraini resolution to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, diplomats said on Friday, but veto-wielding China made clear its opposition to authorizing any use of force.
Two diplomats said the meeting of the council’s 15 members and the vote were set for Saturday morning, rather than Friday as earlier planned. Friday is a U.N. holiday.
Oil prices have surged since the United States and Israel struck\u00a0Iran\u00a0at the end of February, unleashing a war that has run for more than a month and effectively closed the key shipping artery.
Diplomats said Bahrain, the current chair of the Security Council, finalized a draft resolution seen by Reuters that would authorize “all defensive means necessary” to protect commercial shipping. The draft seen by Reuters authorizes the measures “for a period of at least six months … and until such time as the council decides otherwise.”
Thao Nguyen
Over 100 U.S.-based international law experts signed an open letter saying that the United States and Israel initiated strikes on Iran may be war crimes. The letter, released on Thursday<\/a>, called the coordinated strikes a “clear violation of the United Nations Charter.”
“The conduct of the war, and statements of U.S. officials, also raise serious concerns about violations of international humanitarian law, including potential war crimes,” the letter states.
The experts noted a comment Trump made on March 13, in which he said the United States may conduct strikes on Iran “just for fun.” It also cited comments Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth<\/a> made on March 2, in which he said the United States does not fight with “stupid rules of engagement.”
The experts said they were “seriously concerned about strikes that have hit schools, health facilities, and homes,” including a strike on a girls’ school in Iran on the first day of the war. The attack resulted in at least 175 deaths, most of them children.
The United States likely carried out the strike on the school, according to reports from\u00a0Reuters<\/a>,\u00a0The Wall Street Journal<\/a>,\u00a0The New York Times<\/a>,\u00a0and The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources familiar with an ongoing U.S. military investigation.<\/p>\n

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A second American warplane went down in the Persian Gulf region on Friday, multiple news outlets reported, as search operations continue for a crew member from a U.S. fighter jet that went down over Iran.The A-10 Thunderbolt attack plane \u2013 commonly known as the Warthog \u2013 crashed and the lone pilot was rescued, multiple news […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":206406,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-206405","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-us","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206405\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/206406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}