What to know about the A-10 and F-15E, the 2 American planes downed by Iranian fire

At least two American military jets -- an F-15E and an A-10 -- have beendownedby Iranian fire, officials told ABC News.

One of the members of the F-15's crew was rescued while a search and rescue mission continued for the other, the officials said.

In a separate incident, an A-10 was hit by Iranian fire and managed to fly to Kuwait, a separate official said. The pilot in that case was rescued.

The conditions of the crew members aboard the aircraft are not known.

Here's what to know about the military jets — workhorses for the Air Force.

2 US jets downed by Iranian fire; search and rescue mission underway for 1 crew member

F-15E Strike Eagle

The F-15E has been a workhorse for the Air Force for decades. The F-15A made its first flight in July 1972, according to the Air Force. It was followed by the B variation, a single-seat C version and two-seat D model in 1979.

The E variant first came to Luke Air Force Base in April 1988, the Air Force said.

The powerful jet features "high engine thrust-to-weight ratio," allowing it to accelerate even while climbing vertically, and features tremendous maneuverability, allowing it to "turn tightly without losing airspeed," the Air Force said.

The E variant is a dual-role fighter, designed to operate in all weather and perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.

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The F-15E has a rear cockpit for the weapons system officer with four screens that can display an array of data. The pilot has a glass heads up display and "doesn't need to look down into the cockpit, for example, to check weapon status," the Air Force said.

The F-15E can hit 1,875 mph and fly up to 60,000 feet. It can carry missiles and has a 20mm gun with 500 rounds of ammunition.

'No air defenses': Trump, Hegseth touted American dominance in Iran before jet was downed

A-10C Thunderbolt II

The A-10 "Warthog" has been around for decades as well, designed to support ground operations at low altitudes.

What it lacked in speed -- the Air Force lists its top speed as 420 mph -- it made up for in toughness.

The A-10 was meant to take hits and keep going, the Air Force says.

"The aircraft can survive direct hits from armor-piercing and high explosive projectiles up to 23mm," the Air Force said. "Their self-sealing fuel cells are protected by internal and external foam. Manual systems back up their redundant hydraulic flight-control systems. This permits pilots to fly and land when hydraulic power is lost."

Pilots and the flight control system are protected by titanium armor and survivability is increased through "redundant primary structural sections."

In addition, to operating low to the ground, they can land in a variety of conditions and servicing is relatively easy with interchangeable parts on both sides of the aircraft.

In addition to air-to-surface weapons, the A-10 has a Gatling gun that can fire 3,900 rounds a minute, which can destroy tanks.

The A-10 flew over 8,000 sorties in the Gulf War and was mission capable 95.7% of the time, the Air Force said.

byNeo

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April 04, 2026

What to know about the A-10 and F-15E, the 2 American planes downed by Iranian fire

At least two American military jets -- an F-15E and an A-10 -- have beendownedby Iranian fire, officials told ABC News. ...

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UCLA tops Texas to avenge only loss, will play for 1st title

PHOENIX -- Lauren Betts had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and her blocked shot with 18.1 seconds remaining helped UCLA avenge its only loss of the season on the biggest stage in a 51-44 victory over Texas in an NCAA Women's Final Four semifinal on Friday.

Kiki Rice had 11 points and Gabriela Jaquez and Gianna Kneepkens added 10 apiece for the Bruins (36-1), who won their 30th straight and will play for their first NCAA title against fellow No. 1 seed South Carolina on Sunday.

"Quite frankly, we didn't play to our best offensively," UCLA coach Cori Close said. "I remember after the Iowa game when we won the Big Ten championship tournament, I told our team that you cannot fall in love with pretty offense and think that it's going to be like this every game. I told them there's going to be a game in the NCAA Tournament that you're going to have to just grind it out and do it with your defense."

Betts had her 14th double-double of the season and doubled her point total from the first meeting, when she had eight points and seven rebounds in a 76-65 loss to Texas in the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas on Nov. 26. She averages 17.2 points a game.

"This is something that we've all dreamt of being in the position," Betts said. "We're all very thankful. We expected to be here."

Kyla Oldacre had 11 points and was the Longhorns' only-double digit scorer on a night when Texas shot only 30.8% from the field.

Longhorns leading scorer Madison Booker (19.3 ppg) scored only six points due to 3-of-23 shooting from the field.

"Honestly, every shot I took I thought was going in," Booker said. "I can't pinpoint it. It was surprising I couldn't get out of that funk."

Betts put UCLA up 42-30 with 6:11 left, and her jumper with three minutes to go made the lead 47-37 before Texas closed.

The Longhorns scored seven straight points capped by Jordan Lee's driving layup to make it 47-44 with 1:02 left before Betts blocked Booker's driving layup in the waning seconds.

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"The entire game, the coaches are just continuously telling me sprint back, sprint back, sprint back," Betts said. "My job today was help in any way I can inside the paint. As soon as I saw her getting downhill, I'm like, all right, please block this, just don't let her score. I was in a good position. I trust my work and my defense."

Booker said she slipped on the play, adding, "That's not what we wanted."

Rice made four free throws around a Texas missed shot in the last 13.3 seconds for the final margin.

Rori Harmon had eight points, five assists, five rebounds and four steals for the Longhorns (35-4), who had won 12 in a row. Harmon shot 4 of 11 from the floor.

Booker made the first field goal of the game 37 seconds in and did not score again until her jumper with 5:48 left in the fourth cut the Bruins' lead to 42-32.

The Longhorns had held their previous NCAA Tournament opponents to an average of 49.5 points per game and had outscored them by an average of 35.5 points.

Neither team shot well in a lethargic first half, which ended with UCLA leading 20-17. Texas was 8 of 32 from the field and the Bruins were 9 of 24.

Texas did not break 20 points until Oldacre made a layup with 5:54 remaining in the third quarter.

"I thought (UCLA) played very hard," Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. "Aggressive. Played a lot like the way we like to play. In our locker room, we felt like we let one get away.

"This will haunt me until the day I die. We couldn't make a shot tonight. We had plenty of good looks. It's part of the cruelty that is the game sometimes."

--Jack Magruder, Field Level Media

byNeo

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April 04, 2026

UCLA tops Texas to avenge only loss, will play for 1st title

PHOENIX -- Lauren Betts had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and her blocked shot with 18.1 seconds remaining helped UCLA av...

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UConn's Geno Auriemma doesn't regret what he said about Dawn Staley: 'Why would I?'

Geno Auriemmahad quite a bit to say to and aboutDawn Staleyduring his UConn women's basketball team's 62-48 loss to South Carolina in the2026 Final Fouron Friday, April 3.

It turns out he had even more to say after it.

Even the end of the Huskies' perfect season, bid for a second-consecutive championship and 54-game win streak was overshadowed by aterse exchange between him and Staleyas they went to shake hands just before the final buzzer. When the final remaining fractions of a second played out, Auriemma went back to his team's locker room without shaking the hand of Staley or any of South Carolina's players or coaching staff.

The Final Four matchup between South Carolina and UConn was played with intensity throughout, with emotions building as the game reached its closing stretch.

That tension surfaced late as the outcome was decided, leading to visible reactions and an exchange between two of women's basketball's most prominent coaches.

Above, UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley react during the second half of the 2026 Women's Final Four semifinal at Mortgage Matchup Center.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks and head coach Geno Auriemma of the UConn Huskies exchange words during the fourth quarter in the Final Four of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 03, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma bring intensity to SC‑UConn. See photos

The Final Four matchup between South Carolina and UConn was played with intensity throughout, withemotions building as the game reached its closing stretch.That tension surfaced late as the outcome was decided, leading to visible reactions and an exchange between two of women's basketball's most prominent coaches.Above, UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley react during the second half of the 2026 Women's Final Four semifinal at Mortgage Matchup Center.

What was at the root of the altercation? After initially side-stepping a question in his post-game news conference about the flare-up, Auriemma said it stemmed from having to wait for three minutes for Staley during the customary pregame handshake between coaches.

"For 41 years I've been coaching, 25 Final Fours and before the game, the protocol is you meet at halfcourt,"Auriemma said. "Anybody ever see that before? Two coaches meet at halfcourt and shake hands. Correct? Ever see it? They announce it on the loud speaker. And I waited there for like 3 minutes. (shrugs) So it is what it is."

Staley, for her part, said she wasn't sure what caused it.

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"I have no idea, but I'm going to let you know this, I'm of integrity. I'm of integrity," Staley said in a post-game interview with ESPN's Holly Rowe. "So if I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did, I guess he thought I didn't shake his hand at the beginning of the game, I didn't know, I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staff's hand, I don't know what we came with after the game, but hey sometimes things get heated. We move on."

REQUIRED READING:'What are you doing dude?': Social media reacts to Geno Auriemma-Dawn Staley altercation

Emotions were running high for Auriemma even before his team lost. During an in-game sideline interview with Rowe entering the fourth quarter, and with the Gamecocks up by five, the 12-time national champion unloaded in a way few coaches do in such settings, complaining about the foul disparity between the teams and Staley, who he said "rants and raves on the sideline and calls the refs some names you don't want to hear."

After the game, Auriemma said he wanted "to make sure there's not a double standard. I'm of the opinion that if I ever talk to an official like that, I would get tossed. So I just want to make sure there's not a double standard, that some people are allowed to talk to officials like that and other people are not. That's it."

When asked in his post-game news conference if he had any regrets about his answer in his interview with Rowe, Auriemma stood by his words.

"I don't have any regrets with what I said to Holly Rowe. Why would I? Why would I? I've been coaching a long time, I've never had a kid change their jersey because somebody ripped it," he said. "And the officials said, 'I didn't see it.' A lot of things happened in that game. Unless you're on that sideline you have no idea what's happening on that sideline."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Geno Auriemma doubles down on Dawn Staley comments, doesn't regret what he said

byNeo

in

April 04, 2026

UConn's Geno Auriemma doesn't regret what he said about Dawn Staley: 'Why would I?'

Geno Auriemmahad quite a bit to say to and aboutDawn Staleyduring his UConn women's basketball team's 62-48 loss ...

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Springs Fire in southern California reaches 45% containment as evacuations continue

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Crews were making progress Saturday battling a fast-growing and smokywildfire in southern Californiathat broke out Friday morning, prompting mandatory evacuations and warnings.

Now encompassing roughly 6.3 square miles (about 16 square kilometers) east of Moreno Valley in Riverside County, the Springs Fire was 45% percent contained on Saturday, according to a state website. It was 25% contained on Friday.

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More than a dozen zones in the county remained under mandatory evacuation orders or evacuation warnings, while six have been dropped. It was not immediately known how many households were affected by the orders.

Firefighters were battling strong winds. The National Weather Service issued an advisory for 15 mph to 20 mph winds (24 kph to 32 kph), with gusts up to 45 mph (72 kph), into Saturday afternoon. An air quality alert has also been issued for harmful fine particle pollution levels due to wildfire smoke.

Hundreds of people have been battling the blaze using helicopters, engines and water tenders. It's located in a populated unincorporated part of Riverside County, in a recreational area near the city of Moreno Valley, which has a population of roughly 200,000. The city is 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of Riverside and 64 miles (103 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.

byNeo

in

April 04, 2026

Springs Fire in southern California reaches 45% containment as evacuations continue

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Crews were making progress Saturday battling a fast-growing and smokywildfire in southern Califo...

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China aims to show global leadership with Iran war diplomacy. US appears uninterested

WASHINGTON (AP) — China is stepping up its diplomacy onthe Iran war, putting forward a five-point proposal with Pakistan, rallying support from Gulf countries and opposing a United Nations proposal to use any force necessary to open theStrait of Hormuz.

China Congress

It is China's latest push for a more prominent role in global affairs, though it may prove to be more rhetorical than substantive, with the U.S. appearing uninterested in Beijing's efforts.

"The war with Iran is the priority of all countries in and outside the region," said Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington-based think tank. "It is an opportunity China will not miss to demonstrate its leadership and diplomatic initiative."

Danny Russel, a former senior U.S. diplomat, described China's diplomacy as "performative" and compared the five-point proposal for ending the Iran war with its 12-point plan for Ukraine in 2023, which was "filled with platitudes but never acted on."

"Its narrative is that while Washington is reckless, aggressive and heedless of the cost to others, China is a principled and responsible champion of peace," said Russel, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute. "What we are seeing from China is messaging, not mediation."

China has been working "tirelessly for peace" since the outbreak of the war, said Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington.

How the US views China's diplomacy

The Trump administration appears to have little enthusiasm for the prospect of China's mediation, according to U.S. officials.

The U.S. has soured on third-party mediation efforts, and it has little interest in boosting China's international stature or giving it an opening to claim success in the Middle East, said three U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss potential diplomatic options.

One of the officials described the administration's position on the Chinese-Pakistani effort as "agnostic," neither endorsement nor rejection, but all three stressed that could change if President Donald Trump weighs in before hisplanned summitwith Chinese President Xi Jinping.

For Beijing, there could be an incentive to see the war subside before Trump travels to China in mid-May. Citing demands of the war, Trump postponed the trip initially set for the end of March.

"There is no guarantee that Trump may not delay the trip to China again if the war rages on," Sun said.

The war saw amajor escalation Fridaywhen Iran shot down two U.S. military aircraft, a first since the war began five weeks ago. Trump told NBC News that it would not impact negotiations with Iran, just days after declaring in anational addressthat the U.S. has "beaten and completely decimated Iran."

Beijing is calculating the pain from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz

For now, China is more insulated from the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz than other countries after diversifying its energy sources and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

China relies on Iran for only about 13% of its oil imports, and Beijing is working with Tehran to allow the passage of Chinese-flagged vessels through the critical waterway, where Iran's stranglehold has sent energy prices soaring. China also maintains a large strategic petroleum reserve.

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While China has positioned itself to cushion short-term shocks, analysts say Beijing is worried about a protracted war and has an interest in trying to bring it to an end.

"An escalation of the conflict will start to harm Chinese interests," Russel said. "Because China's growth model is so export-heavy, prolonged energy shocks and shipping disruption will mean costlier inputs and weaker global demand that damage its vulnerable economy."

Besides not wanting to see a long war, China "welcomes the opportunity to suggest that it is helping mitigate a crisis of America's making, especially as the Trump administration's lack of a considered strategy for containing the fallout becomes more apparent," said Ali Wyne, a senior research and advocacy adviser on U.S.-China relations at the International Crisis Group.

China has undertaken a flurry of diplomacy

After the war began, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with counterparts from Russia, Oman, Iran, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He told Iran that China cherished its friendship, urged Israel to cease military actions and expressed that China would be willing to play a role in seeking peace.

This past week, Wang hosted his Pakistani counterpart in Beijing to hash out their five-point proposal, calling for an end to hostilities and the reopening of the strait.

He has held more than 20 phone calls with regional foreign ministers, and a special envoy has visited several countries in the region, aiming to promote peace and deescalate tensions, Liu said.

Wang sought support for China's plan from the European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, telling her it represented "broad, international consensus," the Chinese foreign ministry said. Wang told Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan that halting the fighting was the most urgent matter.

Wang also spoke this week with Bahrain's foreign minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, to explain why China opposed Bahrain's U.N. proposal to allow military force to open the Strait of Hormuz. Wang said actions by the U.N. Security Council should help ease tensions "rather than endorse illegal acts of war, still less add fuel to the fire."

China and Russia argued that the U.S. or other countries could exploit a U.N.-backed mechanism to escalate the deadly war, according to a U.N. diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic conversations.

Both countries appear to have less immediate need to see the strait fully open. While China has been able to pay to get some of its ships through, Russia is benefiting from the high price of oil, its main export.

Hoping to avoid a veto, Bahrainsignificantly watered downits proposal to authorize defensive — but not offensive — action to ensure vessels can safely transit the strait. A vote was pushed back until next week.

To solve the problem of the strait, China says a ceasefire is needed. But its plan with Pakistan has been met with mostly silence from the U.S.

One of the U.S. officials said the plan is difficult to assess because it is less of a roadmap to peace than a vague appeal for respect for international law and the importance of diplomacy and the U.N.'s role.

Amiri reported from the United Nations.

byNeo

in

April 04, 2026

China aims to show global leadership with Iran war diplomacy. US appears uninterested

WASHINGTON (AP) — China is stepping up its diplomacy onthe Iran war, putting forward a five-point proposal with Pakistan,...

Read More