US President Donald Trump said Monday at the White House that the US Air Force F-15E fighter jet shot down over Iran over the weekend was shot down by a shoulder-fired heat-seeking missile.
“This was a shoulder-carried, hand-held shoulder missile, heat-seeking missile. … We were lucky that when they shot it, it got sucked right into the engine,” Trump said.
The shootdown was the first in U.S. F-15 history to be shot down by hostile fire and led to the dramatic evacuation of both the pilot and weapons systems officer from deep inside Iranian territory.
However, these rescues were far from smooth, and the United States also lost an A-10 attack aircraft, two MC-130J Hercules special mission transport aircraft, and at least one helicopter during the operation.
Depending on the model, this translates to hundreds of millions of dollars worth of aircraft lost, both directly and indirectly, to missiles that cost only tens of thousands of dollars.
The missile is known as the Man Portable Air Defense System (MANPADS).
According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Military Balance 2025, Iran has an array of missiles, including the Soviet-era Strela missile, the Russian Igra missile, and the locally produced Misag missile.
The exact missile that shot down the US military plane is unknown.
However, hand-held weapons pose a problem for low-flying aircraft, as they are difficult to target.
“They are easy to carry and conceal. Some of the most commonly distributed MANPADS can easily fit in the trunk of a car,” the US State Department fact sheet states.
The MANPAD launch tube is 4 to 6.5 feet long, about 3 inches in diameter, and weighs 28 to 55 pounds.
