Unverified images circulating on social media on April 3, 2026, appear to show wreckage of a US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle on Iranian soil. Markings on the remains of a vertical stabilizer, including the US Air Forces in Europe badge and a red tail flash, match those of the 494th Fighter Squadron, part of the 48th Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom.
Iranian media initially presented the debris as evidence of a second F-35 Lightning II shootdown. A spokesperson for the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters claimed the aircraft was hit by a new air defense system over central Iran. Analysts note the tail markings and paint scheme align with an F-15E, not an F-35. Separate images depict a sizeable impact crater with a burn scar in mountainous terrain.
Neither the images’ origin nor the alleged crash circumstances have been independently confirmed. US Central Command has not commented on these images. On April 2, CENTCOM debunked a prior IRGC claim of downing an F-35 near Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, stating all US fighter aircraft were accounted for.
Some observers suggest the debris may stem from a March 2, 2026, friendly fire incident in Kuwait, where three F-15Es from the same unit were shot down by a Kuwaiti F/A-18; all six crew members ejected safely.