A second U.S. airman has been rescued after ejecting from an F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft that came under enemy fire Friday over southwestern Iran. The two American Air Force personnel, a pilot and a weapons officer, became separated in the rugged and sparsely populated area after the shootdown, according to reports from the BBC and the Associated Press.
The pilot was rescued the same day.
Details of the rescue of the weapons officer mostly remain confidential, but U.S. sources said both American teams and Iranian operatives raced to find the missing crewman.
American aircraft searched from the air Saturday, and Iranian officials offered a reward of $66,100 to anyone who found the man alive. Neither the United States nor Iran government knew the location of the second crewmember.
U.S. military training to avoid captures includes seeking higher ground and intermittent use of a personal location beacon while finding a place to hide.
The U.S. put out a false report that the airman had been located and rescued. The confusion gave American forces time to locate the service member, who was hiding in a mountain crevice at an elevation of 7,000 feet, according to military officials. He was utilizing his beacon intermittently to avoid giving away his position.
According to The New York Times, the airman, while concealed in his hiding place, communicated the location of Iranian troops to aid in airstrikes that provided cover for a U.S. rescue team made up of Navy SEALs.
The airman was flown to Kuwait for medical treatment and, according to President Donald Trump, although seriously wounded, is expected to recover.
According to CBS News, there were challenges as two C-130 transport aircraft that were to be used for the rescue became bogged down in soil and were unable to launch from a remote base in Iran they had used to land. U.S. troops destroyed the aircraft to keep them out of enemy hands per standard military practice.
Iran’s military stated the two aircraft, along with two Army Black Hawk helicopters, were destroyed during the rescue operation. American officials have denied this version of events.
Government officials noted it has been more than 20 years since a U.S. military aircraft was shot down behind enemy lines, leading to the need for a rescue.
