US special forces have saved the second crew member of the F-15E Strike Eagle that was downed in Iran, finally putting to rest a two day period of distress that ranks as one of the most dramatic occurrences in the ongoing battle.
The weapons systems officer, who was injured during his ejection from the aircraft on Friday, has managed to avoid capture for more than a day in the mountains.
This utilizing SERE training to outsmart his pursuers by positioning himself at a high vantage point on a mountainous ridge.
President Donald Trump confirmed the rescue via Truth Social early Sunday morning, declaring “WE GOT HIM!” and praising the operation as “one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History.”
The F 15E Strike Eagle, which is a dual seat multi role aircraft, was brought down by the Iranians on April 3rd making it the first loss of US aircraft due to enemy fire on Iranian soil since the commencement of Operation Epic Fury about six weeks ago.
The crew members successfully ejected themselves from the aircraft.
Although the extraction helicopter was hit by small arms fire and several crew members were injured, the pilot was recovered rather quickly by two US military helicopters.
It was much less clear what would happen to the weapons systems officer.
Iranian state television encouraged citizens to look for the crew member, with an on screen crawl at one point telling the public to “shoot them if you see them.”
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Iranian officials also offered a reward of US$60,000 for anyone who found the missing American.
A race against time
This shootdown gave rise to a nightmare situation for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as they tried their best to track the lost officer in southwest Iran.
The American forces, with hundreds of soldiers from the Special Operations Forces, along with their air forces like planes and helicopters, participated in this difficult rescue operation.
An American plane, called the A10 Thunderbolt, was downed by Iranian forces as well, when the plane was trying to help in the rescue mission.
The plane crashed in the airspace of Kuwait when the pilot managed to eject from the plane.
American helicopters participating in the rescue mission were targeted by the shoulder fired missiles, but fortunately, there was no loss of life during the rescue mission.
The downing of the F15E and A10 Thunderbolt is a challenge to Pentagon and White House claims regarding air superiority in Iran.
It is now clear that both crew members are safe and sound outside of Iran.
A specialized commando unit with a lot of air support carried out the operation on Saturday, but the full details of the mission have not yet been made public.
The Pentagon has asked questions about Trump’s Truth Social post but hasn’t said anything else. Things are still changing.
