The US special forces have rescued the second crew member of the F-15 fighter jet that was downed over western Iran on Friday.
The rescue of the two crew members from the F-15E Strike Eagle was a high-stakes Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) operation that involved a massive "rescue package" and intense firefights.
US President Donald Trump said that the pilot was rescued in one of the most "daring operations" in the history of the US. Though the pilot has sustained injuries, he "will be fine", added Trump.
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"WE GOT HIM! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
While the Trump administration had initially claimed air superiority in Iran, the loss of this advanced aircraft—along with an A-10 Thunderbolt II on the same day—exposed significant risks in the ongoing conflict.
Rescue conducted in two phases
With the F-15E’s pilot and Weapons Systems Officer drifting apart after ejecting, the recovery mission evolved into a two-stage operation. The separation of the crew meant rescuers had to secure two different extraction points deep within hostile Iranian territory.
According to sources, the F-15 pilot and weapons systems officer both made contact via their comms systems after ejecting on Friday.
One crew member was located and recovered by US Special Operations Forces shortly after the crash on Friday. This was a 'hot' extraction, as Iranian forces and local tribal groups were already converging on the crash site. During that rescue operation, Iran struck a US Blackhawk helicopter, wounding crew members, but it was able to fly on.
The second crew member, the weapons systems officer, had been missing for over 24 hours. He utilised his SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) training to evade capture in the rugged highlands of the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province.
The Iranian state media offered a $60,000 bounty for his capture, and the armed Bakhtiari tribesmen patrolled the mountains to find him.
The rescue operation began after the WSO was located on Saturday. Reportedly, the crew member had made contact with the US forces via an encrypted radio.
Meanwhile, unlike the F-15E crew, the A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot was not downed directly over the crash site in Iran. When the flight crashed, the pilot managed to keep the "Warthog" airborne long enough to clear Iranian airspace, limping the damaged aircraft back toward friendly territory.
The pilot eventually ejected over Kuwaiti airspace. Because he was in a friendly territory, he was recovered quickly and safely by U.S. forces stationed in Kuwait.