PiCK
US Fighter Jet Shot Down, Pilot Missing... Iran Claims 'US Rescue Operation Failed'
Summary
- Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it shot down a US fighter jet and that the pilot ejected, raising the possibility of capture and highlighting geopolitical risk in the Middle East.
- US government officials acknowledged the downed fighter jet and the start of a search-and-rescue operation for the pilot, with tensions continuing to rise.
- Kuwait’s refining facilities, power and desalination facilities, and Abu Dhabi gas-field facilities were hit by attacks and a fire, increasing uncertainty over energy supply.
Forecast Trend Report by Period
US acknowledges launch of search-and-rescue operation
Unclear whether the pilot is in custody
The United States on the 3rd (local time) began a search-and-rescue operation for a US fighter pilot who ejected after being shot down over Iran. Iranian media have reported that Iran appears to have secured custody of the pilot, but this has not been confirmed.
A regional broadcaster in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province under Iran’s state television reported that the US pilot ejected from the crashing fighter jet. The broadcaster said, “If you capture the enemy pilot or pilots and hand them over to the police, you will receive a large reward.”
Earlier, the IRGC Cyber Unit said via its Telegram channel that “images have been released showing a Hercules transport aircraft and a US helicopter (believed to be a Black Hawk) spotted near Iran’s border,” adding that “according to a report by a Tasnim News Agency correspondent based in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, after a highly advanced US fighter jet was shot down by the IRGC this morning, the pilot ejected and landed inside Iranian territory.”
Tasnim and other outlets reported that the US side, believing its pilot to be alive, attempted to extract him outside Iran’s border using several Black Hawk helicopters and one C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, but appeared to have failed. Some sources told the outlet it was highly likely the pilot had already been captured by Iranian forces. However, none of this has been independently confirmed.
The IRGC Cyber Unit claimed that “there was no ground engagement, and the enemy appears to have tried to rescue the pilot using helicopters but was forced to withdraw due to defensive fire.”
US government officials acknowledged that a fighter jet had been shot down over Iran and that a search-and-rescue operation for the pilot was underway. Speaking to The New York Times (NYT), officials said that because the search-and-rescue effort was launched in haste before Iranian forces could reach any survivors, the fate of the aircraft’s crew members remains uncertain.
The IRGC said it shot down an F-35 fighter jet in central Iran and another US fighter aircraft near Qeshm Island in the country’s southeast. Information remains mixed, with some local media reporting that the F-35 pilot ejected, or that there are two US pilots being searched for. The F-35 is a single-seat aircraft, while the F-15 and F-16 also have two-seat variants. There are also reports that the aircraft shot down in central Iran was an F-15.
Meanwhile, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said a drone attack hit the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery complex. It did not disclose whether the attack originated from Iran. The Kuwaiti government also said Iran had damaged the country’s power and seawater desalination facilities. In Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, falling debris generated during an air-defense interception struck a major gas-field facility, causing a fire that forced the facility to suspend operations.
Washington=Lee Sang-eun, Correspondent selee@hankyung.com
Korea Economic Daily
hankyung@bloomingbit.ioThe Korea Economic Daily Global is a digital media where latest news on Korean companies, industries, and financial markets.
