List of aviation shootdowns and accidents during the 2026 Iran war

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This is a list of aviation shootdowns, incidents and accidents during the 2026 Iran war based on visual evidence or official self-admission from involved parties. It includes proven helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and military drones (UCAVs) losses.

An Israeli Air Force Lockheed Martin F-35I Adir shot down an Iranian Yakovlev Yak-130, scoring the first kill of a crewed aircraft by an F-35.
Video of a suspected Iranian strike on a USAF Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, released by Tasnim News Agency, 19 March 2026, the first case of a fifth-generation fighter damaged in combat.

Timeline of aviation shootdowns, incidents and accidents

February

March

April

  • Israeli Air Force Roundel 1 April 2026 - An Israeli Elbit Hermes 450 Zik drone was shot down by Hezbollah fighters in south Lebanon, Hezbollah and Israeli sources reported.[119][120]
  • Roundel of the United Arab Emirates/Roundel of Saudi Arabia 2 April 2026 - An CAIG Wing Loong II was shot down by Iranian forces over the skies of Shiraz, Iran. The only operators in the region were the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[121][122]
  • USAF Roundel 2 April 2026 - A US General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drone was shot down by Iranian forces over Shiraz Iran. The shot down sequence of the drone and the wreckage was published by Iranian media.[123]
  • USAF Roundel 3 April 2026 - Iranian forces shot down a U.S. Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle from the 494th Fighter Squadron over western Iran. One ejection seat was found near the crash site.[124][125] Axios confirmed the loss of a US fighter jet and reported a CSAR mission underway.[126] The pilot was successfully rescued by U.S. forces after the crash,[127] and the weapon systems officer (WSO) was later rescued on 5 April.[128]
  • USAF Roundel (2) 3 April 2026 - Two Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk[b] helicopters that were involved in the F-15E search and rescue efforts were struck by Iranian fire, injuring some of the crew on board. The helicopters managed to return to base.[129][130]
  • USAF Roundel 3 April 2026 - A Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft was shot down by Iranian fire. The pilot ejected over the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf and was rescued.[131][132] The A-10 was mobilized to support the CSAR mission of the crew of the F-15E.[133]
  • USAF Roundel (3) 3 April 2026 - A Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter was destroyed on the ground in Kuwait in an Iranian drone attack. Images showed the burned-out frontal section of the helicopter and its forward rotor damaged. Satellite imagery shows a US Army Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter and a Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter destroyed at Camp Buehring and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.[134][135][136]
  • Roundel of the United Arab Emirates/Roundel of Saudi Arabia 3 April 2026 - The remains of a shot down CAIG Wing Loong II drone were found by fishermen in the Persian Gulf. The only operators in the region are the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[137]
  • USAF Roundel (6) 5 April 2026 - The New York Times reported that two Lockheed MC-130 transport aircraft stationed at a makeshift U.S. remote base in Iran were blown up by US forces when three replacement planes arrived, to prevent them falling into Iranian hands. This occurred during the rescue mission for the F-15E WSO stranded in Iran on 3 April 2026.[138] Four MD Helicopters MH-6 Little Bird helicopters were also destroyed, with their wreckage recorded at the makeshift base.[139][140]
  • USAF Roundel 5 April 2026 - A US General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drone was shot down by Iranian forces over Qeshm Island, Iran. The shoot down sequence of the drone and the wreckage was published by Iranian media.[141]
  • Iranian Air Force Roundel (2) 6 April 2026 - Israeli aircraft destroyed two IRIAF Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft at Tehran Mehrabad International Airport.[142]
  • USAF Roundel 6 April 2026 - A US General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drone was shot down by the Iranian Navy on Qeshm Island, Iran. The shoot down sequence of the drone and the wreckage was published by Iranian media.[143]
  • USAF Roundel (5) 1-9 April 2026 - The U.S. Department of Defense has lost eight General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drones in the Middle East since 1 April, bringing the total number of such devices lost in the war to 24.[144]
  • USAF Roundel 9 April 2026 - A US Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton crashed after loss of communication and falling from 52,000 ft to 9,500ft in 15 minutes, signaling its crash somewhere in the Persian Gulf.[145][146] The value of the drone was $238 million.[147]
  • Israeli Air Force Roundel 24 April 2026 - Hezbollah forces shot down an IDF Elbit Hermes 450 Zik drone over Tyre using a anti-aircraft missile. Israeli officials acknowleged the loss.[148][149]
  • USAF Roundel 27 April 2026 - U.S. Navy Safety Command (NAVSAFECOM) in statistics released April 28 says an Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton was damaged while in flight. The airframe returned to base.[150][151]
  • Israeli Air Force Roundel 30 April 2026 - Hezbollah says it shot down an IDF Elbit Hermes 450 Zik drone over Nabatieh, south Lebanon, and the IDF confirmed one of its unmanned aerial vehicles was downed by a Hezbollah surface-to-air missile.[152][153]

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More information Military aircraft losses, Airframe ...
Military aircraft losses
Airframe Roundel of Iran Airforce.svg
Iran
Roundel of Israeli Airforce.svg
Israel
USAF Roundel
United
States
Others
Airbus A340 1
Antonov An-32 1 Iraqi Air Force Roundel
Antonov An-74 3
Bell 214 1
Boeing 707 2
Boeing 747 1
Boeing CH-47 Chinook 2
Boeing E-3 Sentry 2 (1 damaged)
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker 8 (6 damaged)
Boeing KC-46 Pegasus 1
CAIG Wing Loong II 2 Roundel of the United Arab Emirates/Roundel of Saudi Arabia
Chengdu J-7 10
Eurofighter Typhoon 2 (damaged) Roundel of Italy – Low Visibility – Type 1.svg
Elbit Hermes 450 4
Elbit Hermes 900 8
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II 1
General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper 24 1 Roundel of Italy – Low Visibility – Type 1.svg
Grumman F-14 Tomcat 3
Harbin Y-12 1
IAI Eitan 3
IAI Heron 5
Ilyushin Il-76 5
Lockheed C-130 Hercules 5
Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II 1 (damaged)
Lockheed MC-130 2
Lockheed P-3 Orion 1
McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle 4
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II 1
MD Helicopters MH-6 Little Bird 4
Northrop F-5 2
Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton 2 (1 damaged)
Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion 1
Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk 1 (damaged)
Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk 2 (damaged)
Sukhoi Su-22 2
Sukhoi Su-24 3
Yakovlev Yak-130 1
Unknown helicopter 1 Roundel of the United Arab Emirates[c], 1 Roundel of Qatari Emiri Air Force[d]
Unknown military aircraft 1[e]
Total 43 20 55 8
Close
More information Civilian operated aircraft losses, Airframe ...
Civilian operated aircraft losses
Airframe Iran
Iran
Israel
Israel
United States
United
States
Others
Airbus A319 1
Airbus A320 1
Airbus A321 1 (damaged) Roundel of Saudi Arabia
Airbus A340 2
Airbus A380 1 (damaged) Roundel of the United Arab Emirates
Boeing 737 Classic 1
Boeing 747 2
Boeing 777 1
Bombardier CRJ200 1
Fokker 50 3
Fokker 100 1
Ilyushin Il-76 1
McDonnell Douglas MD-80 2 (1 damaged)
Unknown civilian aircraft 1 3 (damaged) 3 (damaged) GCC States
Total 17 3 0 5
Close

See also

Notes

  1. Al Jazeera contents about the IRIAF Su-24s wreckage salvage in Arabic, posted on Facebook and X for verification purpose.[18][19][20]
  2. the helicopters may have been HH-60 Pave Hawk variants

References

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