Inside the Harrowing Rescue of a U.S. Pilot F15-E Shot Down Over Iran

U.S. special operations forces have successfully rescued the pilot of an F-15E Strike Eagle shot down over southwestern Iran on Friday, while a desperate search continues for the jet's second crew member, a weapons systems officer whose fate remains unknown more than 30 hours after the shoot-down.

The loss of the aircraft marked the first time the United States lost a plane to enemy fire in Iranian territory since the conflict began six weeks ago, and has rapidly become one of the most high-stakes human dramas of Operation Epic Fury.

The Shoot-Down

The F-15E Strike Eagle, a two-seat multirole fighter, was taken down by Iranian forces on April 3. Both crew members ejected. Iran's media published photos alongside claims from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that it had shot down the aircraft, and Iranian state television broadcast images of what it said was the wreckage, including a recovered ejection seat.

The Rescue

The American pilot was recovered by two U.S. military helicopters, according to CBS News, citing two U.S. officials. The helicopter involved in the extraction came under small-arms fire, wounding some crew members on board, but landed safely. All personnel were reported to be receiving medical treatment.

Videos circulated on social media appearing to show a low-flying U.S. Air Force HC-130 refueling a pair of HH-60G Pave Hawks over Iran — a rare and striking glimpse of a live combat search-and-rescue operation deep inside enemy territory. Israel's N12 News first reported the rescue, and U.S. officials confirmed it in statements to CBS News, Axios and Reuters.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Trump had been briefed on the incident.

The Search

The weapons systems officer, the jet's second crew member, remains missing. It is reported that the WSO initially made contact with U.S. forces through an encrypted radio after the shoot-down, a sign that he survived the ejection. But contact since then has been uncertain, and U.S. officials have made no announcement of a rescue or capture.

A U.S. special forces veteran told CNN that the missing airman has been "on the run for a day and a half, which is a very long time when being actively pursued behind enemy lines, in the mountains, with limited communications and also possibly injured."

Iranian authorities are conducting a parallel manhunt. Iranian state television called on civilians to search for the missing crew member and promised a reward for anyone who turns in an "enemy pilot." An on-screen crawl at one point urged the public to "shoot them if you see them." The governor of Iran's Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province — the region where the jet came down, denied reports Saturday that the second crew member had been found and arrested.

A Second Aircraft Also Lost

Around the same time as the F-15E was downed, a U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt II was struck by hostile fire while supporting the search-and-rescue mission. The pilot managed to fly the damaged aircraft into Kuwaiti airspace before ejecting safely.

The rescue mission for the missing WSO, described by experts as extraordinarily dangerous, is ongoing. U.S. officials have declined to discuss operational details.

This is a developing story.