‘Capture US pilot alive, get reward,’ says Iranian media after Tehran claims it downed F-15E

Tehran claimed to have shot down a US F-15E fighter jet on Friday, after which the Iranian media announced rewards for civilians who capture the pilot alive and hand them over to authorities. Iranian state-run media reported that officials are offering a reward of 10 billion toman (approximately $60,000 USD) to any citizen who locates the downed American pilots. State-affiliated Iranian channels have claimed that the US fighter pilot ejected from the aircraft over southwestern Iran after it was shot down, which is the first known loss of a jet inside Iran since the start of the war.

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The reward announcement comes as US officials, who believe the pilot may be alive, attempt to extract him from Iranian territory through an ongoing combat search and rescue operation. Iranian state media shared images online purportedly showing American aircraft, including helicopters, planes, and drones, flying over the area.

“If a pilot or an enemy pilot is captured and handed over alive to the law enforcement or military forces, you will receive a significant reward and compensation. If you see an airplane or helicopter in the sky, make sure to target it,” the anchor of the channel in Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province read out a message.

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The governor of the south-western Iranian province announced that anyone who captures or kills the American pilot, who is reported to have ejected during the crash, would be commended by the authorities.

State-affiliated Iranian channels have claimed that the US fighter pilot ejected from their aircraft over southwestern Iran after it was shot down, which is the first known loss of a jet inside Iran since the start of the war.

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The reward announcement comes as US officials, who believe the pilot may be alive, attempt to extract him from Iranian territory through an ongoing combat search and rescue operation. Iranian state media shared images online purportedly showing American aircraft, including helicopters, planes, and drones, flying over the area.

Tehran-linked channels also aired visuals of metal debris loaded onto the back of a pickup truck, suggesting a possible crash site, which is a mountainous area located about 500 kilometres south-west of Tehran.

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Earlier, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed a major military success, announcing on Friday that a second F-35 fighter jet had been shot down over central Iran by an advanced air defence system operated by its Aerospace Force. The IRGC alleged that the aircraft belonged to the US Air Force’s Lakenheath squadron.

The IRGC further said the fighter jet was completely destroyed upon impact. The claim follows an earlier assertion by Iranian forces on March 19 that they had downed what they described as the first-ever F-35 in combat.

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Iran's state broadcaster, IRIB, also posted on X that crowds of civilians had driven out in private cars toward the crash site. “Many people in southwestern Iran have gone to the area around the crash site of the American fighter jet in private cars to capture the American pilot. The Iranian armed forces have called on the people NOT TO LET anyone mistreat the pilot,” it wrote.