U.S. pilot survives two shootdowns in weeks amid Iran clash

A U.S. Air Force pilot survived being shot down twice in less than five weeks during the recent conflict with Iran, an exceptionally rare occurrence in modern military aviation. The pilot was first involved in a friendly-fire incident over Kuwait in late February or early March, before being downed a second time by an Iranian missile in early April.

The initial incident occurred during the opening days of the war, when Kuwaiti air defenses mistakenly engaged three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets. The pilot and five other crew members from the aircraft safely ejected and parachuted to safety. U.S. Central Command has not publicly commented on the reported incident.

Just over 30 days later, the same pilot was flying a combat mission over Iran when his F-15E was struck by a surface-to-air missile on April 3, forcing another ejection. The pilot sustained serious injuries but was rescued after several hours. The aircraft's weapons system officer was injured during the ejection and remained in hiding for nearly two days before being recovered. Officials confirmed the recovery of two service members following the April incident.

Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine praised the...