Berk Kutay Gokmen
April 04, 2026•Update: April 04, 2026
ISTANBUL
The US Air Force has lost at least seven aircraft in its war with Iran, CNN reported on Saturday.
The downing of two US fighter jets in a single day on Friday, in separate incidents – a US Air Force F-15 and an A-10 – raised the total number of manned US aircraft lost in the conflict with Iran to seven, according to the report.
On March 2, just days into the war, three F-15s were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses in a friendly fire incident over Kuwait.
All six crew members safely ejected. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said this week that the three pilots have since returned to flying missions against Iran.
On March 12, six US personnel were killed when a KC-135 refueling tanker crashed in Iraq. The US military said the aircraft were involved in an incident with another aircraft during Operation Epic Fury, the name for the US offensive on Iran that began on Feb. 28. The second aircraft landed without issue.
On March 27, an E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control aircraft was reportedly destroyed while on the ground during an Iranian strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
The attack reportedly injured at least 10 US service members, though no deaths were reported. A US Air Force tanker was also damaged in the strike, sources said.
In a separate incident, a US F-35 fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing at a US base in the Middle East last month after being hit by what is believed to be Iranian fire, CNN reported, citing two sources familiar with the situation.
The region has been on alert since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people to date, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, as well as Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.
