Analysis: Wreckage of Downed Aircraft Over Iran Identified as F-15E Strike Eagle, Not F-35 as Iran Claimed

Examining Images Published by Iranian Media of Downed Fighter Jet Wreckage On April 3, Iranian media - citing the armed forces - reported that a US Air Force fighter jet was shot down over Iran. Reports claimed the aircraft was an F-35, but closer examination of the images by experts indicates the aircraft is an F-15E Strike Eagle. The cause of the crash has not yet been announced, and no evidence has been published showing the aircraft was shot down by air defenses. Formation lights (known among pilots as slime lights) are visible on the wingtips. The thin, flexible yellow strips are electroluminescent (EL) strips mounted on wingtips which glow with a soft light at night without interfering with the pilot night vision. The AN/ALQ-128 electronic warfare warning system, along with its antenna array and red stripe on the vertical stabilizer of the F-15E Strike Eagle. In one image, this system can be identified on the left vertical stabilizer. The red stripe indicates the aircraft belonged to the 494th Squadron Panthers, part of the 48th Fighter Wing USAF, based at RAF Lakenheath UK, with some aircraft transferred to Jordan. USAFE command insignia can be seen on the damaged vertical stabilizer. @Factnameh