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groundloop

(13,866 posts)
Fri Apr 3, 2026, 06:36 PM Friday

'No air defenses': Trump, Hegseth touted American dominance in Iran before jet was downed

Source: ABC News

As the U.S. waged war over the last five weeks, President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have repeatedly said Iran's capabilities were decimated -- including its anti-aircraft defenses, which were taken out by American forces.

That assertion seems to have come into question Friday when, according to several U.S. officials, Iran appeared to down a U.S. fighter jet, an F-15E, over its territory.

One of the crew members was rescued, a U.S. official said. The status of the other crew member was not known and a search and rescue operation was under way according to officials.

[.....]

Another official said two Black Hawk helicopters involved in the search and rescue for the crew of the F-15E were also struck by incoming fire and an A-10 aircraft was hit in a separate incident and crashed in a neighboring allied country. The pilot was rescued in that case.

Read more: https://abcnews.com/Politics/air-defenses-trump-hegseth-touted-american-dominance-iran/story?id=131690203

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Hope22

(4,767 posts)
2. It's their talking that puts the troops in danger!
Fri Apr 3, 2026, 07:05 PM
Friday

Every proclamation brings a downed jet or helicopters down. Plans are divulged ahead of time but they are certain that the enemy isn’t listening. The ignorance of it all is frightening! They need to just stop flapping their lips.

paleotn

(22,255 posts)
3. Well, Donnie and Whiskey Pete, it's a big ass country. Sure we got all their air defense assets?
Fri Apr 3, 2026, 07:11 PM
Friday

Apparently ....nope.

When this is all over, and it will end, I want every goddamn one of their heads on pikes. Any Dem who even THINKS "we must move on" gets primaried until they're bleeding from every orifice.

EX500rider

(12,598 posts)
7. Well objectively it is basically true, of over 12,000 combat sorties over Iran they have shot down 2 planes
Sun Apr 5, 2026, 11:34 AM
8 hrs ago

That is a 0.01% success rate, not exactly spectacular by any metric.
Maybe not so much "decimated" as ineffective.

Vigorous anti-air defenses look more like the US Army Air Forces loss of 22,948 planes in combat during WWII.
High-risk missions, like the 1943 bombing raids, often saw 16% losses.

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