U.S. Air Force Pilot Shot Down Twice Within 30+ Days in Iran Campaign

According to CBS, an F-15E fighter pilot was shot down twice during the early stages of operations in Iran, two sources familiar with the incident revealed on June 3. The pilot was first struck by friendly fire from Kuwaiti forces in an earlier mission and ejected safely. Just over 30 days later, the same pilot was hit by an Iranian air-to-air missile while flying another mission over Iranian airspace, triggering a subsequent rescue operation.

Retired Air Force General David Deptula noted the extreme rarity of the incident: "This is a very unusual coincidence," Deptula said, adding that he could not recall a similar case since the Vietnam War where a pilot was shot down twice in different incidents during the same conflict. "It's like being struck by lightning twice."