WANA (Jun 02) – An American pilot whose F-15 fighter jet was shot down over Iran on April 3 was previously involved in another aircraft loss earlier in the Ramadan War, when a Kuwaiti F/A-18 was mistakenly brought down by friendly fire.

 

According to available reports, the pilot survived that earlier incident after ejecting from the aircraft. His latest shootdown has now placed him in a highly unusual category within U.S. military aviation history.

 

Current and former U.S. Air Force officials said the pilot is “almost certainly” the first fixed-wing Air Force aviator to be shot down twice during a single conflict, a distinction not seen since the Vietnam War.

 

A former senior Air Force official familiar with the details of the April 3 incident also revealed that the other crew member aboard the F-15—the weapon systems officer—was injured after ejecting from the aircraft. According to the official, the officer suffered injuries when his parachute failed to deploy properly during the descent.