US fighter pilot shot down by Iran describes alarming ‘jellyfish’ drones before crash: ‘Real alien s–t’

The US pilot who was rescued after his plane was shot down in Iran chillingly recalled being swarmed by Iranian drones that moved together in unison in a jellyfish-like formation.

“Multiple drones interconnected and moving as one with smaller drones below the bigger drones like legs,” one of the sources familiar with the pilot’s witness account told CNN.
“Real alien sh–t,” the source added.

Wreckage is seen from what Iranian authorities say is a US military helicopter that crashed during a mission to rescue the missing American pilot of an F-15E that was downed earlier this week, in a handout image provided on April 5, 2026 in an unspecified location in Iran. Handout via Getty Images

The F-15 pilot shared the alarming encounter in a debriefing with intelligence officials after the April incident — which could indicate that Iran has significantly increased its military drone capabilities, according to CNN.

How the fighter jet was downed remains under investigation, however the drone formation — which one source told CNN the pilot described as a “minefield of drones” hovering the air — may have helped Iran take the F-15 down.

The pilot and a weapons systems officer both ejected from the jet on Good Friday — the first time in the conflict a US plane was shot down in Iranian skies.

The pilot was quickly rescued hours later on April 3, but the weapons officer, who was seriously injured, had been forced into hiding in the Zagros Mountains for more than a day after Iran placed a bounty on his head.

Iranian women walk past an anti-US and anti-Israeli mural in Tehran on June 3, 2026. AFP via Getty Images

It’s not clear if the weapons officer witnessed the Iranian drones, according to CNN.