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U.S. Completes Daring Rescue of Both F-15E Crew After Jet Shot Down by Mobile Iranian SAM Over Southern Iran

Updated: 2 days ago


A high-stakes operation unfolded deep in hostile Iranian territory that lasted more than 48 hours. U.S. forces successfully rescued both crew members of an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet. The jet had been shot down on April 3. This rescue happened despite weeks of intense coalition strikes. Those strikes had severely degraded Iran’s air defenses.


What to know about the A-10 and F-15E, the 2 American planes downed by Iranian fire - ABC News


The American two-seat F-15E was operating over southwestern Iran when it was engaged and destroyed by a mobile Third Khordad (Sevom Khordad) surface-to-air missile system operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Although U.S. and Israeli forces had conducted over 13,000 sorties and struck thousands of Iranian targets since late February — claiming to have largely annihilated fixed radars and major Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) sites — this incident demonstrated that Iran’s strategy of using highly mobile systems and passive sensors kept some lethal capability intact.



Military sources indicate the F-15E — a non-stealthy fourth-generation strike fighter with a large radar cross-section and strong engine heat signature — was tracked using passive infrared and electro-optical systems rather than emitting radar signals. This “silent” tracking allowed the mobile battery to achieve a lock-on without triggering the jet’s radar warning receivers. The Third Khordad system, mounted on trucks and employing “shoot-and-scoot” tactics, fired a Taer-2B missile from a range of roughly 50–100 km. Iranian state media later released FLIR video showing the F-15E deploying flares in a desperate attempt to evade the incoming threat before impact. Wreckage, including vertical stabilizers and wing sections bearing U.S. Air Force markings from the 494th Fighter Squadron, was scattered across rugged, mountainous terrain in provinces such as Khuzestan or Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad.



Both the pilot and weapons systems officer (WSO) ejected safely and made initial contact with U.S. forces. President Donald Trump has described the successful recovery of both airmen without loss of life as “one of the most daring Search and Rescue operations in U.S. military history.”


The rescue unfolded in two phases. The pilot was located and extracted relatively quickly in a rapid combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) mission involving U.S. helicopters and close air support. During this phase, one Black Hawk helicopter took small-arms fire from Iranian forces or local militias, resulting in minor injuries to crew members. Still, it was able to return to base. An A-10 Thunderbolt II providing support was also hit, and its pilot was later rescued.


The Sikorsky Blackhawk helicopter was used in the rescue.
The Sikorsky Blackhawk helicopter was used in the rescue.

The second crew member — a colonel serving as the weapons systems officer — evaded capture for over 24 hours. Injured during ejection but still mobile and armed with only a sidearm, he hid in a mountain crevice while IRGC units, local forces, and even nomadic tribes searched for him. Iran broadcasted images of the wreckage, offered rewards for information leading to the crew’s capture, and claimed to have downed a U.S. drone during the manhunt.

Using advanced intelligence, real-time tracking, and a deception campaign to mislead pursuers, U.S. special operations forces inserted by helicopter under heavy air cover conducted the final extraction. American aircraft conducted precision strikes on approaching Iranian units to clear the path. The WSO was safely recovered, and both crew members are now in stable condition at a secure U.S. medical facility. Their names have not been released.


President Trump, who monitored the operation closely from the White House Situation Room with senior national security officials, announced the successful rescue on Truth Social: “We got him! This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies… He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine.”


The episode highlights both the effectiveness of U.S. combat search-and-rescue doctrine — blending special operations, deception, air support, and real-time intelligence — and the reality that Iran’s dispersed, mobile, and passive-detection air defenses remain dangerous even after significant degradation. Analysts say this was not a lucky shot from a Man-Portable Air Defense System (MANPADS) but a coordinated medium-range SAM engagement, serving as a tactical reminder that “diminished” does not equal “eliminated,” particularly against non-stealth platforms in contested airspace.


The successful rescue represents a major morale victory for U.S. forces as the conflict with Iran enters its sixth week. Further details on the shoot-down and rescue are expected as the Pentagon completes its review.


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