U.S. Airman Rescued After Ejecting from F-15E Shot Down Over Iran

By Richard Hall

*Published: 2026-04-06*

A U.S. Air Force weapons systems officer (WSO) who ejected from an F-15E fighter jet shot down over southwestern Iran has been rescued after more than 24 hours on the ground, according to U.S. officials and an announcement from President Donald Trump.

Trump posted on Truth Social shortly after midnight on Sunday: “WE GOT HIM!” He added that the U.S. military deployed dozens of aircraft to retrieve the airman, who sustained injuries but was expected to recover. Trump referred to the airman as a “highly respected Colonel.”

The F-15E was downed on Friday, according to accounts from multiple U.S. officials provided to news outlets including Axios, Fox News, and the New York Times. The pilot ejected and was rescued shortly afterward, while the WSO evaded Iranian forces in a mountainous area for over a day. A defense official told Axios that the two crew members landed several miles apart, with Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel conducting searches in the vicinity.

Trump described the operation in his post as involving a U.S. airman “behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies.” He also stated it marked “the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory.”

The incident occurred amid the Iran war, which escalated on February 28, 2026, following prior Iranian drone and missile attacks on U.S. assets and amid ongoing anti-government protests in Iran. U.S. and Israeli forces had conducted military buildups in response. On that date, U.S.-Israeli strikes targeted Iranian leadership, including the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to U.S. and Israeli officials. No independently verified reports have confirmed claims of more than 100 schoolchildren killed in those initial strikes.

Casualty figures from the war vary. Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization critical of the Iranian regime, reported 3,531 deaths from U.S.-Israeli bombing as of the latest available data, including 1,607 civilians and at least 244 children. These figures have not been independently verified by neutral observers. U.S. officials have reported 13 American service member deaths in the conflict.

Separate from the F-15E incident, an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft sustained damage near the Strait of Hormuz on Friday while providing support for search efforts, according to U.S. officials cited by Fox News. Iran's military claimed its air defenses shot down the A-10 and released video purportedly showing the event, but U.S. officials have not confirmed the cause of the damage. Two U.S. rescue helicopters were also hit during operations that day.

Iranian state television aired footage on Sunday claiming to show two U.S. helicopters and a transport plane downed by Iranian forces during the rescue. U.S. officials told the Associated Press that the aircraft experienced malfunctions and were subsequently destroyed by American personnel to prevent capture.

The Pentagon, Department of Defense, and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment from TIME.

Details of the Evasion and Rescue

U.S. officials described the WSO's evasion tactics to multiple outlets. The airman, trained in Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) protocols, hid after the ejection. A defense official told Axios that IRGC forces numbered in the “hundreds” in the area.

The rescue involved hundreds of U.S. special forces personnel, dozens of aircraft including warplanes and helicopters, conducted at night from a temporary U.S. base established inside Iran, per the Axios-sourced official. Israel provided intelligence support, and Israeli officials told Axios their air force conducted a strike to impede Iranian ground forces approaching the site. Trump commented to Axios: “They have been good partners. They have been great and brave people. We are like a big brother and little brother.”

After ejecting, the WSO climbed a 7,000-foot mountain ridgeline and took shelter in a crevice, according to U.S. officials cited by Fox News and the New York Times. The airman activated an emergency beacon, enabling U.S. forces to pinpoint the location, though signaling was intermittent, a military official told the Times. Two U.S. officials told Fox News the beacon was key to the location.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) played a central role, per Axios reporting. CIA operatives conducted a deception effort, spreading information within Iran suggesting both F-15E crew members had been recovered and were being exfiltrated. This aimed to mislead Iranian search teams. U.S. officials initially worried the signals might indicate a trap or captivity, Axios reported. The airman transmitted a brief radio message stating “God is good,” according to a defense official. Trump told Axios a version of the message was “Power be to God” and noted it resembled phrasing associated with Muslim individuals.

CIA technology confirmed the airman's identity and location, a U.S. official told the Times. The agency also coordinated an “unconventional assisted recovery,” involving contact with local civilians potentially able to assist U.S. forces, Axios reported.

Meanwhile, IRGC statements indicated searches near the pilot's ejection site. Iranian officials offered a $60,000 reward to locals for information leading to the crew's capture and urged public assistance. Online videos showed residents in the area forming search groups.

U.S. aircraft conducted strikes on Iranian convoys nearing the WSO's position, according to the New York Times.

Upon location, the airman was transported to two waiting MC-130J aircraft for exfiltration. Malfunctions grounded the planes, leading U.S. forces to destroy them along with four helicopters, the Times reported based on military sources. The airman and commandos were then transferred to three replacement aircraft for extraction.

Trump announced the rescue just after midnight Sunday, stating the airman was “SAFE and SOUND!” In a follow-up post, he noted the airman was “seriously wounded” and scheduled a White House press conference for Monday at 1 p.m.

This F-15E marked the first reported U.S. military aircraft downed inside Iran since the war's escalation on February 28, per U.S. officials' accounts.

—Miranda Jeyaretnam contributed reporting.

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