US F-15 crashes in Libya, crew ejected: command

"Both aircrew ejected," the spokeswoman, Karin Burzynski, told AFP from the command's headquarters in the western German city of Stuttgart.

"One crew member was recovered and the operation to recover the second crew member is ongoing."

Western forces pounded strongholds of Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi for a third night under a UN Security Council resolution authorising all necessary means to stop Gaddafi's forces harming civilians as they battle a rebellion.