Late on Saturday night (April 4th), President Trump announced that the other crew member of the downed F-15E fighter jet has been rescued. “We have found him,” the President said.
On Friday (April 3rd), a US military F-15E fighter jet was shot down in Iranian airspace, with the pilot rescued on the same day while the other crew member went missing. The US military immediately launched a search and rescue operation.
In the midnight of Saturday, President Trump posted on the “Truth Social” platform, stating, “We have found him! My fellow Americans, over the past few hours, the US military has carried out one of the most heroic rescue operations in American history, successfully rescuing our outstanding military officer, who is also a highly respected colonel.”
“I am thrilled to inform you all that he is safe and sound! This brave warrior was trapped behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, pursued by the enemy and cornered step by step. But he was never truly alone because his Commander-in-Chief (Trump), the Secretary of War (Hagsef), the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (General Kane), and his comrades stood guard day and night at his location and meticulously planned the rescue operation,” the President wrote passionately.
Trump continued, “Under my command, the US military deployed dozens of aircraft equipped with the world’s deadliest weapons to rescue him. He was injured, but everything will be fine.”
He stated that this miraculous rescue operation came after successfully rescuing a brave pilot yesterday (Friday). “Yesterday, we didn’t confirm the rescue of this pilot because we didn’t want to jeopardize the second rescue operation. This marks the first time in US military history that two American pilots have been rescued deep in enemy territory.”
On Friday, this F-15E fighter jet crashed in Khuzestan Province of Iran, with two crew members ejecting to safety. While one has been rescued, the other is still being searched for.
“We will never abandon any American soldier! We were able to successfully complete these two operations, with no American casualties, once again proving that we have overwhelming air superiority in Iranian airspace,” the President wrote on Saturday midnight.
Trump concluded by stating that all Americans, regardless of party affiliations, should be proud of this and stand united. “We have the world’s most outstanding, professional, and deadly military in history. God bless America, God bless our military, and Happy Easter to all!”
Combat search and rescue is an extremely dangerous mission. Aircraft typically fly low to evade enemy radar detection, while jet fighters, drones, or other armed aircraft provide support. However, low-altitude, low-speed flying also makes them vulnerable to ground or anti-aircraft fire.
In a typical helicopter rescue mission, elite forces equipped with door-mounted machine guns scan the ground for enemy threats as the helicopter approaches the suspected location of the downed F-15E crew members. If the helicopter comes under attack, the door gunner’s task is to clear the landing zone before rescuing the downed crew members.
Khuzestan Province, where the fighter jet crashed, is home to Arab tribes that oppose the Iranian central government. Counterterrorism experts believe that while this may assist the stranded US soldiers, the deployment of more armed forces than usual by the Iranian government (intended to suppress potential protest activities) has also made the rescue operation challenging for the US military.
While the US military launched the rescue operation, the Iranian regime has been attempting to capture this soldier before the US military, with Iranian state media even urging citizens to assist and offering a reward of around $66,000.