The weapons systems officer who ejected from a downed F-15E Strike Eagle over Iran on Friday evaded Iranian forces for more than 24 hours, eventually hiking up a 7,000-foot ridgeline and hiding in a crevice while injured. Hundreds of special operations troops and other military personnel were mobilized to bring him out.
The airman's ordeal began when Iran shot down the U.S. jet and both crew members ejected into enemy territory, "Hvylya" reports, citing The New York Times. While the pilot was recovered relatively quickly, the weapons officer could not be found. He had moved from where his ejection seat hit the ground, and U.S. officials knew he was hurt.
All Air Force fighter pilots and weapons officers carry a beacon and a secure communication device for coordinating rescues. But airmen are trained not to signal their location constantly, restricting beacon use in case enemy forces can track the signal. The officer's discipline in limiting his transmissions may have kept Iranian search teams guessing - but it also meant U.S. forces had to rely on intelligence agencies to narrow down his position.
Once the CIA located him, the Pentagon enacted its extraction plan. The U.S. military began dropping bombs near the hiding spot to keep Iranian forces back. Commandos moved in and fired their weapons to secure a perimeter, but "did not have to engage in a direct firefight with the Iranians," a U.S. military official said - a possible sign that a parallel CIA deception campaign had drawn at least some Iranian forces away from the area.
Rescue aircraft then flew the injured officer to Kuwait for medical treatment. A senior administration official said the equipment the CIA used to locate the airman was "unique to the agency" but declined to specify what it was.
Earlier, "Hvylya" reported on why Iran's deterrence collapse reshapes the nuclear calculus for aspiring states.