US F-15 fighter jet crashes in the North Sea; pilot still missing

A US Air Force F-15C fighter jet belonging to 493rd Fighter Squadron of the 48th Fighter Wing, based at RAF Lakenheath, UK, call sign “CHOSEN 4”, crashed into the North Sea off England on Monday and the condition of its pilot is unknown,

Iran Press/Europe: The aircraft was from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, a US Air Force-operated base in Suffolk, England, that is home to the US Air Force's Europe-based F-15 fighter wing.

The Fighter jet was on a training exercise off the north-east coast of England.

A massive UK Search And Rescue operation supporting US operation is underway to the rescue of the pilot flying the Eagle that crashed.

The 48th Fighter Wing said in the statement, "The cause of the crash, as well as the status of the pilot, are unknown at this time".

The UK's Coastguard is coordinating the search response and said in a statement to CNN it received reports of "an airplane going down into the sea 74 nautical miles off Flamborough Head."

"The HM Coastguard helicopter from Humberside has been sent along with Bridlington and Scarborough RNLI lifeboats. Following a Mayday broadcast by HM Coastguard, other vessels nearby are heading to the area," the coastguard said. Flamborough Head is on the East Yorkshire coast, in northern England.

The F15C, a single-seater air defense fighter, is a model of the jet that has been used by the US Air Force since 1979.

An RAF source said the aircraft has an "exceptional flight safety record".

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