US pilot shot down twice during Iran war

US pilot shot down twice during Iran war 

A United States Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle pilot was reportedly shot down twice in less than a month during the Iran war.

The incidents took place within five weeks, starting with a friendly-fire incident on March 2 in Kuwait.

During this incident, Kuwait's defense forces mistakenly targeted three F-15E Strike Eagle jets, forcing all six crew members to eject and land safely.

Pilot shot down by Iranian missile

Less than five weeks after the incident, the same pilot returned to the cockpit with others to carry out a bombing on Tehran.

However, bad luck struck the pilot again just days after the mission, when his F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran on April 3.

The pilot was rescued after several hours, but the second crew member, a weapons officer, was rescued after nearly two days in hiding as Iran announced a bounty on his head.

Joint Chiefs Chairman praises pilot, weapons officer

Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine praised the pilot and weapons system officer for their bravery.

He said, "The courage demonstrated by both the pilot and the weapons system officer while isolated and them evading the enemy cannot be overstated."

Caine added that their "grit and warfighting tenacity is a direct result of the absolute trust they have in our rescue forces, their training, and their will to survive and return."

'Like getting hit by lightning twice'

Retired Air Force Lieutenant General David Deptula called the incidents "a highly unusual coincidence."

He said he couldn't recall a pilot being shot down twice during the same campaign since possibly the Vietnam War. "It's like getting hit by lightning twice," he told CBS News.

US officials are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the downing, but sources told NBC News that the evidence points to a Chinese-made weapon.