Iran's downing of US warplanes marks first such strike in over 20 years: US media
Iran's downing of two American warplanes marks one of the rarest direct attacks on US forces in more than 20 years, a report said.
The last time a US warplane was shot down by enemy fire in combat was an A-10 Thunderbolt II during the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, according to retired US Air Force general and former F-16 fighter pilot, Houston Cantwell, the Associated Press reported.
He said the US has been "flying combat missions" in Iran over the past five weeks, and US invading jets and drones "are being shot at every day."
On Friday, Iran shot down a US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet in an attack that left the two pilots missing.
According to Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran program senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank, it is possible that Iran fired at the F-15 with a surface-to-air missile.
Taleblu said it is also more likely that a portable, shoulder-fired missile was used in downing the warplane.
A US A-10 attack aircraft also crashed after being hit by Iranian Armed Forces. The Iranian Army also managed to shoot down two Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 transport plane early Sunday morning.
According to the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the enemy flying objects came under fire during a desperate mission to retrieve the pilot of the F-15 jet.
In a separate statement, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) also confirmed that its forces have destroyed several US warplanes that were conducting a desperate mission to rescue the pilot.
The US, the IRGC said, "once again suffered a humiliating defeat."
US President Donald Trump said in a social media post that his country's military "got" the pilot during an operation, one day after rescuing another pilot.
The two aircraft used by the US military during the so-called rescue mission, which were subsequently destroyed by the IRGC, cost more than $100 million each.
Iran's Armed Forces have also shot down two invading drones, including an MQ-9 and a Hermes-900, over Isfahan Province on Sunday.
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