![U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet [Photo: Reuters/Yonhap]](https://contents-cdn.viewus.co.kr/image/2026/04/CP-2023-0070/image-50b33b46-5c91-4f21-9f40-f9b7c245b30f.jpeg)
U.S. forces deployed hundreds of special operators and advanced assets to recover an F-15 aircrew officer who was isolated behind enemy lines, bringing him out after roughly two days. The operation reportedly included Navy SEAL Team 6.
On April 4 (local time), the New York Times reported that of the two crew members aboard the F-15E Strike Eagle Iran shot down on April 3, the pilot was recovered immediately while the weapons systems officer (WSO) was missing. After ejecting, the WSO concealed himself in mountainous terrain and eluded Iranian search efforts for more than 24 hours.
U.S. forces initially had difficulty locating him, but the CIA identified his hide site and the rescue moved into high gear. The mission marshaled hundreds of special operators, including SEAL Team 6 (DEVGRU), multiple fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, and cyber, space and intelligence capabilities. SEAL Team 6 — the unit credited with the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden — played a central role.
During the recovery, U.S. aircraft provided covering fires to prevent Iranian forces from closing on the site. The Wall Street Journal reported that MQ-9 Reaper drones and other systems conducted preemptive strikes near the officer’s location. Special operators fired to keep nearby Iranian units at bay while approaching the site, but there were no reported direct firefights.
The missing officer carried a personal beacon and secure communications gear but limited their use to avoid broadcasting his position. U.S. officials also ran deception measures, feeding false information that the officer had already been rescued and was being moved out of the country to confuse Iranian forces.
After about 48 hours, U.S. forces recovered the officer with no U.S. casualties. He was flown to Kuwait for medical treatment.
When two transport aircraft supporting the mission became stranded at a base inside Iran, U.S. forces dispatched additional transports and destroyed the stranded aircraft to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands. The Wall Street Journal identified the aircraft type as the MC-130J special operations transport.
A senior U.S. military official called the mission “one of the most challenging and complex” in U.S. special operations history. President Donald Trump confirmed the rescue on his social media platform Truth Social, saying he was “very pleased to tell you that he has returned safely.”
Iranian outlets reported that five people died in U.S. strikes. The semi-official Tasnim news agency said five people were “martyred” in the strikes.
Iranian media also reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down a U.S. aircraft involved in the search, which Iranian police described as a C-130 tanker. Given that the U.S. says it destroyed an MC-130J it left behind, analysts cautioned the claim could be inaccurate.
