The rescue of a downed airman in Iran
On the night of Friday, April 3, as an American F-15 fighter jet cruised over the skies of southern Iran, a massive explosion rocked the aircraft. Amidst the ongoing American airstrikes against Iran, a single soldier fired a missile off his shoulder that slammed into the advanced Western jet. As the burning plane torpedoed towards the ground, the two American crew members safely ejected themselves and proceeded to hide in Iran, enemy territory. Seven hours later, the pilot was safely in the hands of American Search and Rescue personnel. However, the second crew member, an Air Force colonel serving as the weapons systems officer (WSO), had yet to be recovered. What followed was a high-risk operation to rescue the aviator, which was one of the largest combat search and rescue (CSAR) missions the U.S. has carried out since the Vietnam War. It was a massive example of the United States’ military capabilities and coordination, as well as a showcase of its challenges and struggles.
American air crews are trained in Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE), in case their planes are shot down. Once they egress the aircraft, as they float down to the ground, crew members are taught to identify areas that appear protected from enemy forces searching for them. Upon landing, their SERE training instructs them to assess any injuries they may have sustained and then relocate to a safe area to wait for rescuers. The process of ejecting and parachuting is tremendously dangerous in itself and often results in broken limbs or fractures. After hiding, special military tracking technology can be used to send their location to CSAR teams searching for them, without revealing information to the enemy.
The actual job of the CSAR teams is far from easy, either. Typically, to effectively search for downed airmen, planes and helicopters are required to fly low and slow to properly scan the ground below. This can make aircraft extremely vulnerable to enemy fire and can put rescue crews in significant danger. For example, the biggest CSAR mission ever undertaken by the American military was to rescue Lt. Col. Iceal Hambleton during the Vietnam War. Hambleton was a senior Air Force officer who was serving as a navigator on board an EB-66 during a bombing run on North Vietnam. His aircraft was shot down, and he was the only member of the six-person crew to survive. While the United States always rescues its stranded troops, Hambleton’s retrieval was especially imperative due to his seniority. Hambleton spent twelve days in hiding before two Navy SEALS were able to reach him, a rescue mission which resulted in eleven Americans’ deaths, two soldiers being captured, five aircraft being destroyed, and many more damaged over the course of the operation. Besides simply attempting to rescue him, casualties also resulted from the need to defend his position via airstrikes, to ensure North Vietnamese troops didn’t reach him before U.S. troops did. This is just one example of how dangerous the work of these brave teams is; not only do they have to dive deep into enemy territory, but they also have to protect a position within it, a terrifying endeavor.
After the F-15 was shot down in April, the race began to find the two Americans trapped in enemy territory. Contrasting messages came from Iran’s government, where some Iranian officials offered rewards for the capture of the airmen, others offered rewards for their dead bodies, and a few even stated an intent to kill the WSO if he was taken into custody. But while confusion reigned in Iran, American forces quickly pinpointed the location of the crash and sent teams to investigate. Within hours, special forces operators from MH-60 helicopters were able to rescue the pilot, but the WSO remained missing. Over the course of the following day, footage circulated online showing American planes and helicopters flying at a low altitude over the region where the crash occurred. The Air Force colonel, who was still in Iran, reportedly hiked up to a 7000-foot ridge, where he used a GPS beacon to broadcast his location to US forces. While the broadcast was received relatively quickly after the crash, there was some initial fear that it wasn’t necessarily him, and instead, enemy captors were trying to lure American forces into a trap. CIA officers in Iran used a long-range spy technology that effectively worked as a camera from miles away. They were able to confirm the colonel’s identity and verify his location.
While Iran’s military capabilities obviously continue to pose a severe threat, considering they shot down an advanced Western fighter jet, the relative ease of the rescue mission also highlights how restricted Iran’s capabilities are. Aircraft involved in the rescue effort, such as C-130 transport planes, MH-60 helicopters, and others, were able to fly slowly and at a low altitude without any losses to enemy fire. Additionally, MQ-9 Reaper drones were able to continuously strike enemy forces if they got too close to the downed WSO, operating with relative ease. Moreover, Iranian teams that were searching for the Air Force officer were unable to capture him, despite his being injured and armed only with a pistol. Iran offered rewards to local tribesmen, and reports indicate that the Iranians even had sniffer dogs try to pick up a scent from the ejected seats. After all this, during the actual operation, American forces landed over a hundred soldiers and three planes on an airstrip in Iran to retrieve the hiding colonel. Over the course of several hours, they landed and extracted hundreds of troops and multiple aircraft deep inside enemy territory.
In addition to highlighting Iran’s diminished military abilities, the operation was a refreshing example of cooperation within the American government. While troops from the Army and the Navy prepared to land on the ground and rescue the colonel, Air Force pilots flew surveillance aircraft in the search for the colonel. But apart from the military, intelligence operatives played a massive role as well. The CIA had enough assets inside the country that they were able to quickly verify the WSO’s state and identity, as well as launch a massive deception campaign that is credited with helping prevent Iranians from locating the airman. CIA operatives embedded within the government sowed confusion by claiming that Americans had already retrieved him, and that he was being transported out of the country by land. Reportedly, they didn’t specify from which point he would exit, offering multiple borders and water routes. When U.S. commandos actually arrived, they did not have to directly engage enemy forces, a sign that the CIA campaign succeeded in diverting attackers from the colonel’s location.
Overall, this mission is an exemplary example of American military success and cohesion. Multiple different agencies worked promptly to retrieve this one man, while air strikes and intelligence assets prevented Iranian forces from getting anywhere near the downed WSO or from causing significant harm to rescue forces. In a world with chaos and amidst such a controversial conflict, America’s successful rescue of a downed serviceman is a refreshing reminder of our commitment to leave no one behind.
