A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II crashed near the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, marking the second American combat aircraft lost in a single day during Operation Epic Fury. U.S. officials confirmed the crash to the New York Times and said the single-seat jet’s pilot was safely rescued. CBS News reported the aircraft took fire and was damaged during the combat search-and-rescue operation for the crew of the downed F-15E Strike Eagle.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency, citing the Iranian army’s public relations team, stated that Iranian forces shot down the aircraft in waters south of and around the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state-run media also published video footage it claimed showed an A-10C being struck by a surface-to-air missile over southern Iran. Neither claim could be independently verified.

Video footage published by Iranian state-run media which claims to show the targeting of a U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt ll earlier today over Southern Iran by a surface-to-air missile, with the A-10 later crashing in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Kuwait, while the pilot… pic.twitter.com/0CCwa1Q8iI

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 3, 2026

Conflicting reports have emerged about the timeline, as some accounts indicate the A-10 went down around the same time as the F-15E, while others suggest it was shot down during the CSAR mission to recover the F-15E’s pilot and weapons systems officer. The precise sequence of events between the two incidents has not been confirmed.

The Pentagon and U.S. Central Command did not respond to requests for comment from multiple outlets, and the cause of the crash remains unknown. 

A-10s have played a prominent role in Epic Fury, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz and in Iraq. On Friday, A-10s were among the aircraft escorting Jolly Green IIs during the search for the missing F-15E crew member over Iran.

A-10 pilot with a heavy finger on the trigger during a strafing run targeting Iranian-backed PMF militia in Iraq. Probably the longest ever burst I’ve heard. pic.twitter.com/8wwLqmbZXO

— Woofers (@NotWoofers) March 27, 2026

The 75th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron has been operating A-10s in the region, and the Air Force recently doubled its Warthog presence in the Middle East by deploying additional aircraft from the 107th Fighter Squadron out of Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan and the 190th Fighter Squadron from Gowen Field in Idaho.

The high operational tempo of Epic Fury has pushed aircraft and crews well beyond normal training hours. Aviation analysts have noted that the pace of combat flying increases the likelihood of mechanical issues, though that has not been confirmed as a factor in this case. 

The A-10, which first entered service in 1977, was slated for retirement before the war but has since become one of the most active airframes in the campaign.