Tehran, Iran - Iran deployed troops and offered a bounty as it launched a hunt for a US pilot whose jet Iranian media said had been downed by air defense systems Friday.

US Central Command did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment on the first such case reported in the war, but the New York Times quoted US and Israeli officials confirming the Iranian claims.

"Military forces have launched a search operation to find the American fighter pilot who was hit earlier today," Iran's Fars news agency said.

"Dear and honourable people of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, if you capture the enemy pilot or pilots alive and hand them over to the police and military forces, you will receive a valuable reward and bonus," said an Iranian TV reporter on the official local channel.

The Wall Street Journal and Axios also reported that a search-and-rescue operation was underway by US forces, following what would be the first known loss of a jet inside Iran since President Donald Trump ordered the unprovoked war.

Earlier, Tehran's Revolutionary Guards had misidentified the jet as an F-35, but photos of aircraft wreckage published by Iranian media suggests that it was an F-15 model. It's not clear whether the pilot was able to eject or survive the crash.

Trump and members of his administration have repeatedly insisted that Iran's air defense systems had been completely destroyed by weeks of US and Israeli attacks.