One of the crew members of the F15 shot down by Iran's anti-aircraft defenses in a mountainous area in the south of the country has been rescued, as indicated by official sources to several US media outlets. The crew member is alive and receiving medical attention, according to CNN. Several Blackhawk helicopters, F35 fighters, and MQ-9 drones from the United States continue the search for the other officer. This is the first combat downing after over a month of US attacks.
According to the Iranian news agency Tasnim, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps initially claimed they had captured them, but in the same report, it was stated that it was an F-35 when in reality it was an F-15E according to the photographed remains, and no images of them have been shown. It is already night in Iran, the most challenging time to continue with rescue operations.
From the images released, it appears that both crew members were able to eject. The seats of the aircraft, separated from the fuselage, indicate they were ejected by parachute. Both the US and Iran are racing against time to find them in a mountainous area in the south of the country, specifically in Khuzestan. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard, responsible for the downing, has offered a monetary reward equivalent to $60,000 on state television to any citizen who provides information about both Americans.
On the ground, in the videos released, there are scenes of local militiamen shooting at US helicopters from a long distance. If Washington was considering a ground incursion into Iran, this rescue mission may need to be expedited.
For Tehran, presenting US military personnel on camera, whether alive or dead, would be of great propaganda value and would give the ayatollahs another bargaining chip besides the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. Conversely, if the US military manages to rescue them, it would be a significant blow to Iran and a major victory for Washington.
The governor of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province in southern Iran states that the priority is to "capture alive" any downed US crew member.
"Those who manage to capture or eliminate hostile enemy forces will receive special recognition from the Governor's office," he adds, according to a report from the semi-official ISNA news agency.
Some Iranian channels report that, for the first time in this war, combat aircraft have been deployed to counter a US search and rescue operation, although no one really knows the actual capabilities of the Iranian aviation at this stage after 35 days of bombing on their bases.
Another US fighter jet had an incident on Friday, this time an accident in the Strait of Hormuz area, as reported by The New York Times. The sole pilot was rescued unharmed, according to two US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The A-10 Warthog attack aircraft crashed approximately at the same time as the F-15E was shot down.