An A-10C Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, registration 78-0614, has not returned to its squadron and may have been shot down by Iran during an operation to rescue the weapons systems officer of a downed F-15E Strike Eagle, according to a single unverified report.
A single unverified report circulating on Monday morning claims a US A-10C attack aircraft was lost over Iran. The aircraft, serial 78-0614, failed to return to its squadron after what the report describes as a rescue mission for the weapons systems officer of a downed F-15E Strike Eagle. No further details — including the location of the downed F-15E, the outcome of the rescue, or the fate of the crew — are available. The report contradicts the earlier understanding from US Air Force imagery, which showed all 11 A-10Cs returning to RAF Lakenheath with Iran campaign markings, as The Zioneer reported. No open or official source has confirmed a loss. The event remains unverified and the reported airframe may be the same one recorded in those images with the markings.
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Source and signal
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