An F-15E Strike Eagle seen during aerial refueling over Kyrgyzstan in May 2008. This aircraft was shot down over Iran in April, and its remnants are now on display inside the country as a war trophy. (US Air Force)

Iran Has a New ‘War Trophy’: Wreckage of an F-15E Strike Eagle

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The “Dude 44” aircraft shot down in April is now on display in Iran—a consolation prize for the two crewmembers it failed to catch.

As the war in Iran approaches its six-month mark on August 28, the Strait of Hormuz remains essentially closed, the United States military’s stockpiles of critical weapons have been depleted, and Iran remains defiant. Seeking a propaganda win over the United States in the ongoing conflict, Iran has publicly exhibited destroyed US military hardware shot down over the country, including MQ-1 Predators, MQ-9 Reapers, and, most ominously, the remains of an F-15E Strike Eagle.

Although the Pentagon has not confirmed the provenance of the aircraft in question, there is little doubt that the aircraft is “Dude 44,” or airframe number 00-3000 from the 48th Fighter Wing at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England. That aircraft was shot down over Iran on April 3 during Operation Epic Fury, the first phase of the war; the two crew members were able to eject and were rescued, but the aircraft was abandoned and claimed as a war trophy by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The canopy is now part of a display of other lost US and Israeli military hardware.

Images of the downed aircraft first shared by the IRGC quickly made the rounds on social media.

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© The National Interest