According to The New York Times, citing two unnamed U.S. officials familiar with operational details, the aircraft in question is the well-known A-10 Warthog attack plane. They report that the sole pilot aboard was successfully located and extracted to safety.
The officials state that the A-10 went down near the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, at approximately the same time an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down over Iranian territory.
Officials have so far provided very limited information about this second crash. Details on exactly how the A-10 was brought down and the precise location are still being kept secret, and it has not been disclosed whether the crash resulted from a technical failure or hostile action.
This crash further complicates an already chaotic day for U.S. air forces in the Middle East. The A-10 incident occurred parallel to a large-scale rescue operation over Iran.
Recall that in that separate incident involving the downed F-15E, U.S. forces confirmed that one member of the two-person crew was rescued and recovered. Search and rescue operators, whose Black Hawk helicopter was hit and damaged in the meantime, continue intensive efforts to locate the other missing aviator in the rugged Iranian mountains.