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The United States has rescued the missing crew member of the American F-15 fighter jet shot down over southern Iran on Friday.
US President Donald Trump confirmed the rescue on social media on Sunday morning after the US military “completed one of the most daring search and rescue operations” in its history. The officer is “now safe and sound!” he added.
Two crew members were on board the aircraft and both were ejected from the aircraft. One of them had already been rescued by American forces.
Iranian officials said the fighter jet was shot down by its air defense system.
Details of the rescue operation and how it unfolded are still emerging. Here’s what we know so far.
How was the police officer rescued?
The United States and Iran were engaged in a race to find the missing crew member after the plane was shot down over southern Iran.
The exact circumstances of the US rescue remain unclear, but it took place after what a person close to the operation described to the BBC as a “huge” combat search and rescue mission in southern Iran.
The BBC understands there was an engagement between US and Iranian forces during the rescue, and that the pilot may have been injured when he was first ejected from the plane.
Rescuing crew members from a downed aircraft is one of the most complex and urgent operations – known as combat search and rescue (CSAR) – for which the U.S. military and its allies prepare.
The Air Force units behind CSAR missions include some of the most highly trained and specialized members of the military.
Missions are often carried out by helicopters that fly low over enemy territory, alongside other military aircraft that carry out strikes and patrol the area.
In his social media post, Trump said the airman – a colonel – “was behind enemy lines in the dangerous mountains of Iran, hunted by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour.”
The president added that the aviator’s location was monitored “24 hours a day” by senior U.S. officials who were planning the rescue operation.
Trump said the US military sent dozens of planes to Iran and claimed the operation was carried out without any Americans being killed or injured.
Iranian state media reported that troops of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shot down a US drone while searching for the missing airman.
The US drone crashed in Iran’s southern province of Isfahan, the IRGC’s public relations office said, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
Earlier, Iran said it wanted to find the missing American alive and offered citizens a reward for their help.
The crew of a downed aircraft is highly trained for such situations.
“Their number one priority is to stay alive and avoid capture,” Jennifer Kavanagh, director of military analysis at the Defense Priorities think tank, told the BBC.
“They are trained – assuming they are physically capable and not injured to the point where they cannot move – to try to get away from the ejection site as quickly as possible and to hide to be safe.”
They are also trained in survival skills so they can go without food or water, or find resources in the local terrain, for as long as possible, Kavanagh said.
Where and when was the plane shot down?
Iranian state media claimed for the first time on Friday that Iranian forces had shot down a US plane over their southern region.
The exact location where the F-15 was allegedly shot down has not been confirmed, but two possible provinces have been mentioned in official Iranian media: Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, and Khuzestan.
Two crew members were on board the plane that was shot down. The plane’s pilot was found during an earlier operation. This operation reportedly included an A-10 Warthog aircraft being hit over the Gulf, with its pilot ejecting before being rescued.
A helicopter carrying the rescued F-15E pilot was hit by small arms fire, injuring crew members on board – but it landed safely, US media reported.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said nomadic tribes living in the country’s mountains shot down two Black Hawk helicopters that were part of the US rescue mission.
BBC Verify has confirmed a video from Friday showing what appears to be three armed individuals shooting at at least two Black Hawk helicopters.
Iran’s highest joint military command blamed Iran’s new air defense systems for the downing of the two US warplanes, according to Iran’s state-affiliated IRNA news agency.
The region of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad is a mountainous province in the southwest, home to more than 700,000 people, including nomads.
The region’s nomads are known to carry rifles to protect their herds and camps from wild animals and theft in the remote highlands.
Khuzestan province is a powerhouse of oil and several other industries. It is home to more than 4.7 million people, with a diverse population, including Arabs, Persians, Lors and other ethnic groups.
What do we know about the purpose of the jet plane?
United States Air Force via Getty Images
The F-15E is designed for air-to-ground and air-to-air missions. In Iran, they most likely played a defensive role in shooting down Iranian drones and cruise missiles.
In its air-to-ground strike role, the jet is capable of dropping laser- and GPS-guided precision munitions, as well as other bombs.
The plane has two crew members: the pilot and a weapons systems officer in the rear seat. The weapons officer, known as “Wizzo”, is responsible for selecting targets and ensuring weapons are programmed for the appropriate attack.
This two-crew system helps distribute the workload, especially in a crowded environment where the pilot is trying to escape threats.
We don’t know exactly what brought down this American plane, but if it was shot down by the Iranians, the most likely reason was a surface-to-air missile (SAM).
Additional reporting by Ghoncheh Habibiazad, BBC Persian
