April 3rd was the worst day for American military aviation since the war began. An F-15E Strike Eagle shot down over Iran. One crew member, the pilot, rescued by American forces. The second, the weapons systems officer, still missing. An A-10 Warthog hit by enemy fire during the rescue mission, the pilot nursing the damaged aircraft out of Iranian airspace and into Kuwait before ejecting. Pilot recovered. Two HH-60W helicopters retrieved the rescued F-15E pilot but the helicopter carrying him was hit by small arms fire, wounding crew members on board. It landed safely. Three types of American aircraft struck in a single operational sequence. The President was asked on NBC whether it affects negotiations. “No, not at all,” he said. “This is war.”

It is war. The war that was “nearing completion” two days ago just produced the first confirmed shootdown of a manned American fighter over enemy territory. The air defences Trump said were destroyed brought down a jet from the squadron he personally commended. Israel suspended airstrikes in areas “relevant” to the rescue effort. The Pentagon reported 365 American service members wounded since February 28, a figure that had not previously been disclosed at that scale. And Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf posted the sentence that will define this chapter: “After defeating Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from regime change to can anyone find our pilots?”

Iranian state television broadcast the manhunt live. A local channel in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province aired the instruction: “If you capture the enemy pilot or pilots alive and hand them over to the police, you will receive a precious prize.” The channel initially told viewers to shoot on sight. The guidance was revised after a police statement requested the pilots be delivered alive. Tasnim reported nomadic tribesmen and villagers deployed across mountains with personal weapons. The governor called for a “widespread chase.” Tasnim reported that at least one pilot may have been captured following what it described as a failed American rescue attempt. US officials have not confirmed this.

The aircraft belongs to the 494th Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath. The red band on the vertical stabilizer was visible in the wreckage. The Aviationist and The War Zone confirmed the markings independently. Iran claimed it was an F-35. It was not. Iran misidentified its own kill. But the kill was real. The ACES II ejection seat was photographed on Iranian soil. The impact crater and burn scar are consistent with a fighter-sized crash into mountainous terrain.

This is the squadron that shot down more than 70 Iranian drones defending Israel in April 2024. The Mackay Trophy recipients. The President’s heroes. Two years later the red band is in a crater and the weapons systems officer who sat behind the pilot may be evading capture in the mountains of the country whose drones they destroyed, listening for rotors, hoping the ones approaching are American.

The last time Iranian authorities mobilised civilians to seize Americans was 1979. Fifty-two diplomats. Four hundred and forty-four days. It ended a presidency. If the WSO is captured alive, the April 6 power-plant deadline becomes a hostage negotiation. The grand bargain acquires a face and a name.

The crowd has been summoned. The American may already be in their hands.