The American F-15 downed in Iran last month, which prompted an extraordinary rescue operation for its pilot and navigator, was apparently hit by a Chinese-made shoulder-fired missile, three people familiar with the matter told NBC.
A senior U.S. official and one of the sources said China supplied Iran with long-range early warning radar capable of detecting stealth fighter jets in the first days of the war. The United States is still investigating the circumstances of the F-15E’s downing. It was the first time in decades that an American fighter jet was brought down by enemy fire.
Trump and Xi in Beijing
(Video: Reuters)
It is still unclear exactly when the military equipment was transferred, but Iran’s use of Chinese-developed weapons complicates relations between Washington and Beijing. U.S. President Donald Trump visited China just this month and asked President Xi Jinping for help in ending the war.
After the fighter jet was downed, Trump said it had been hit by a shoulder-fired missile. About 6 feet long and weighing roughly 44 pounds, such missiles are a cheap and effective way to shoot down low-flying fighter jets. The F-15’s pilot and navigator ejected after the strike. The pilot was rescued within seven hours, while the navigator was found only two days later and extracted in what Trump called “one of the most daring operations in history.”
NBC sought comment from the White House, which referred the network to a Fox News interview in which Trump said Xi had promised him that China would not provide military equipment to Iran, as well as similar remarks Trump made to reporters last week.