US F-15E shot down over Iran on April 3–4, 2026 as search continues for missing crew amid escalating US–Iran hostilities.

Good day. This is Biased Bipartisans, and I am The Reporter. Today is April fourth, twenty twenty-six at ten oh six PM Eastern. Here is your report on breaking news.

The United States military is actively searching for a missing crew member tonight following the shootdown of an American F-15E fighter jet over Iran — a development that marks one of the most significant escalations in what multiple outlets are now describing as an ongoing armed conflict between the United States and Iran.

According to Reuters, reporting as of April third, an F-15E Strike Eagle — a two-seat aircraft — was shot down over Iran, with a search and rescue operation immediately launched for its crew. NBC News confirmed, reporting approximately fourteen hours ago, that one of the two crew members has been recovered. As of this broadcast, CNN is reporting — just minutes ago — that U.S. forces are still actively searching for the second crew member.

The Wall Street Journal, updating its live coverage at ten oh two PM Eastern tonight, reports that Iran is claiming new air defense capabilities as that search continues. Separately, an Instagram post attributed to a special report account, which has not been independently verified by this broadcast, alleged that Iran conducted a missile strike destroying a major U.S. radar installation in the Persian Gulf, described as the largest American radar system in the region.

What can be sourced: Anadolu Agency reported two days ago that the United States has lost nearly two billion dollars in military equipment in the first four days of strikes against Iran. Iran has also claimed, per that same report, to have destroyed a THAAD radar component deployed at Al-Ruwais. CBS News, reporting two days ago, confirmed that President Trump has issued Iran a forty-eight hour ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, warning that more military action is, quote, "coming."

The broader context: multiple outlets, including the BBC, Reuters, and CBS News, have been tracking what is now being described as the twenty twenty-six Iran war — an active military engagement involving U.S. and Israeli forces conducting strikes against Iran, with Iran retaliating against Gulf states, U.S. military assets, and Israel. The timeline, per Wikipedia's documented record of the conflict, shows Iranian drone and missile strikes hitting targets including Kuwait International Airport and Israeli territory, with the U.S. claiming significant degradation of Iranian missile capabilities.