Get you up to speed: US pilot shot down over Iran rescued in mammoth 21-aircraft operation | News World
A US Air Force pilot, known by the call sign Bravo, was rescued after a 21-aircraft operation following the crash of a two-seat F-15E jet, which was shot down by a shoulder-fired missile over Iran. Bravo and another pilot, Alpha, evaded Iranian forces for 48 hours, with Alpha being rescued within six hours during an operation described by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth as involving intense fighting.
The operation involved 21 aircraft and was executed under high-risk conditions, as US forces engaged in intense fighting to secure the pilot known as Alpha. The mission, which resulted in Alpha’s rescue within six hours of the crash, took place after an F-15E jet was shot down by a shoulder-fired missile in a mountainous region south of Isfahan.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that the operation to rescue the pilots involved intense fighting, stating, “It was a gun fight all the way in and all the way out.” The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, highlighted the risks of conducting operations behind enemy lines in daylight, asserting the decision was made to act swiftly to ensure the pilots’ safety.
What remains unclear — The exact circumstances and timeline of Alpha’s rescue operation following his initial separation from Bravo are not detailed.
US pilot rescued in 21-aircraft operation after being shot down over Iran
The US pilot known as Bravo called the rescue mission that saved him a ‘miracle’ (Picture: CBS/60 Seconds)
A US Air Force pilot has described the moment he was rescued in a 21-aircraft operation along with another soldier after their plane was shot down over Iran.
The two US troops, who are known by their mission call signs Alpha and Bravo, were ejected from the damaged plane and separated before they had to evade Iranian forces while they awaited rescue.
They landed roughly five miles apart from each other in a mountainous region south of Isfahan, with Iranian forces hunting them down.
Bravo called his survival a ‘miracle’ after he broke his back, shoulder and arm in the crash.
He hit the ground ‘somewhere between 70 and 100mph’.
Speaking in an interview with CBS News’ 60 Minutes programme, Bravo said: ‘When I looked up and saw no parachute, that was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen.
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‘So I paused, right then, and I prayed, “Lord, your will be done. But if I’m getting through this, I need help.”‘
He added: ‘I believe that it’s a testament to God’s provision in my life to bring me through that moment in a way that didn’t prevent injuries, but prevented any catastrophic injuries that would have affected my ability to survive.’
The other US airman involved in the incident, Alpha, declined to be interviewed by CBS.
However, he told the broadcaster: ‘Words cannot capture how thankful my family and I are and how proud I am to serve alongside each and every one of them.’
Bravo was rescued after spending 48 hours behind enemy lines.
The two-seat F-15E jet, which costs £22million, was taken down by a shoulder-fired missile, according to CBS.
Alpha, meanwhile, was rescued within six hours in an operation that involved intense fighting, the US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said.
‘It was a gun fight all the way in and all the way out. But they got Alpha back,’ Hegseth said.
In total, the US sent 21 aircraft into the area to bring him home.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine also told CBS: ‘Anytime you go behind enemy lines in daylight, it’s gonna be dicey.
‘But given the threat to 44 Alpha, the decision was taken to boldly go behind enemy lines in daylight to make sure that we could get to him before anybody else could.’
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