After Iran shot down a US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet, the US military launched a major “combat search and rescue” (CSAR) operation and was able to recover one crew member of the downed jet, while the other still remains missing.
A CSAR operation was launched almost immediately, with videos of an HC-130 and two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters flying over Iran posted to social media.
During the search operation, an A-10 Warthog that was reportedly providing close air support was struck by Iranian fire. The pilot steered the jet out of Iranian airspace and over the Persian Gulf, after which he ejected and was rescued.
Additional Warthogs supporting the mission have reportedly also taken hits.
Notably, the F-15E is a two-seater aircraft carrying a pilot and a weapons systems officer—the latter is still missing, and the rescue is continuing in Iran. When asked what he would do in the event that Iran seized or injured a crew member of a downed F-15E, US President Donald Trump said, “Well, I can’t comment on it because — we hope that’s not going to happen.”
The operation is high-risk due to hostile territory, terrain, and Iranian efforts. Iranian security forces were seen shooting at low-flying choppers to derail the CSAR operations.
Typically, when an aircraft is downed in hostile territory, planners rapidly gather intelligence on the isolated personnel’s (IP) potential location, status, terrain, weather, and the enemy threat level in the area of interest. Based on this information, the planners assess whether sending a rescue package would be justified or too risky to execute.
A tailored Combat Search and Rescue Task Force (CSARTF) is assembled.
The choppers fly low and slow, often nap-of-the-earth, to reach the survivor, hoist or land to pick them up, and provide immediate medical care. They are assisted by para-rescuemen who deploy on the ground or via hoist to stabilize the survivor, provide security, and handle the extraction of the downed crew, sometimes under fire.
Command-and-refueling aircraft—such as the HC-130J—can orbit or penetrate to serve as airborne command posts, provide real-time coordination, and refuel helicopters for extended range or deep penetration.
Meanwhile, close air support aircraft, such as the A-10 Warthogs in this case, provide dedicated escort, suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD), and firepower to protect the vulnerable helicopters.
The planning essentially includes authentication procedures to avoid enemy traps, support for the ground crew during evasion, and contingency plans.
The active phase often involves low-altitude penetration of hostile airspace, which is the most dangerous phase because it leaves the slow-moving helicopters and other aircraft vulnerable to enemy fire. In fact, there have been incidents in the US military’s history where the rescuing aircraft also came under fire, causing cascading casualties.
The mission to save the missing crew is “high-risk”, and Iran has offered rewards and bounties to anyone who finds and turns over the downed F-15E crew.
“Dear and honorable people of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, if you capture the enemy pilot or pilots alive and hand them over to the police and military forces, you will receive a valuable reward and bonus,” said an Iranian television reporter on the official local channel.
With the F-15E crew member missing and likely in great trouble if he has survived, we are reminded of a US pilot who was shot down in combat in Bosnia, and whose story later inspired the film “Behind Enemy Lines.”
Behind Enemy Lines: The Story of Scott O’ Grady
Former US Air Force fighter pilot Scott O’Grady is best known for his incredible survival after being shot down over Bosnia in 1995 during the Bosnian War, which broke out as part of the violent breakup of Yugoslavia.
On June 2, 1995, during Operation Deny Flight, a NATO operation meant to enforce the no-fly zone over Bosnia, Captain O’Grady, with call sign Basher 52, was flying an F-16C with his flight lead, Captain Bob “Wilbur” Wright, call sign Basher 51.
O’Grady and Wright were on a routine patrol from Aviano Air Base in Italy, constantly looking out for known fixed missile positions as they flew through the skies in a typical “two-ship” configuration. “We knew to stay far away from the Bosnian Serb’s SAM rings to the north and to the east. SAMs—surface-to-air missiles—were a definite threat to an F-16, even with our high-tech defense systems,” Captain O’Grady explains in his book.
However, as luck would have it, the intelligence teams had somehow failed to detect one mobile location that would go on to spell doom for O’Grady.
While in flight, Wilbur detected a potential threat radar to the east, prompting a series of radio exchanges and communication with NATO’s airborne command center, which was codenamed “Magic.”
Just as the Command was assuring Wilbur that his information was likely incorrect, O’Grady’s threat alert system suddenly lit up, triggering panic amongst the pilots.
As it turned out, two 2K12 Kub missiles had been launched without radar assistance to avoid detection. With a sense of impending doom dawning upon him, O’Grady made quick evasive movements to prevent the missiles from locking in.
“Magic was saying that they couldn’t really confirm where the radar was coming from. Cautiously, Wilbur and I continued to fly our ovals. At exactly 3:03 P.M., Aviano time, my threat warning system showed a bright blip. I stared at my console in disbelief. At the same time, an alarm shrilled over my headset. I had been spiked by threat radar. Forget any threat from the north. This was coming from due east, just like the one Wilbur had picked up. Could it really be a second false alarm? My stomach did a flip. ‘Basher Five-Two, mud six, bearing zero-nine-zero,’ I said into my radio. ‘Basher Five-One naked,’ Wilbur reported back. Our roles had been reversed. It was now my turn to be hunted. I knew I had to prepare myself for the worst,” he wrote.
The first rocket flew dangerously between him and Wilbur. But the second missile hit O’Grady’s F-16. “The missile had blindsided me, coming up through cloud cover below. It had struck the plane’s underbelly, hitting one of the fuel tanks and cutting my F-16 in two,” Capt. Scott O’Grady later wrote.
The missile had caused very significant damage to the aircraft, and O’Grady faced extreme pandemonium as he plunged recklessly into Earth, his cockpit engulfed in fire.
Determined to survive the hit, O’Grady initiated the ejection sequence. It took him over 25 minutes to descend into an open area just south of a highway, and as he landed, he realized he had sustained burns to his face and neck from the explosion.
As soon as he touched down, he took off his parachute, packed his survival kit, and ran into the nearby woods even as he was pursued by the Serbian paramilitary forces.
O’Grady frequently came into close contact with the enemy.
During the first two days, a helicopter flew so close that he could see the Serbian pilots’ faces. He wasn’t safe from ground troops either, who fired on anything that moved.
Stuck behind enemy lines, O’Grady had to use unusual tactics to get through the night, make radio requests for assistance, and deal with the dampness, hunger, and dehydration.
With no food or any given means of survival in a foreign land, O’Grady resorted to eating ants and plants.
He relied on the dwindling water in his emergency pack, but it ran out on the fourth day. The rain did provide some water, but also saturated him, leading to trench foot from prolonged exposure to the cold water.
He carried a survival radio and periodically attempted to contact NATO’s airborne command center, but maintained radio silence most of the time to avoid revealing his position.
On the sixth night, O’Grady, using his call sign Basher Five-Two, finally made contact with fellow squadron mate Capt. T. O. Hanford, who was unfortunately running low on fuel himself. Nonetheless, the call for help sparked a risky combat search-and-rescue effort coordinated from the USS Kearsarge in the Adriatic Sea.
Supported by AH-1W Cobra gunships, Harriers, and numerous other aircraft, two US Marine CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit flew far into Serb territory early on June 8.
With a 9mm pistol in hand, O’Grady finally emerged from the forest line onto a tiny clearing, while being surrounded by the Marines. He boarded one of two CH-53E Super Stallions straddled by a group of Marines. Additionally, two AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter gunships flew nearby in case enemy fire on the way out became an issue.
However, O’Grady soon realized that he wasn’t safe even after being rescued by the Marines. While he was being flown out of the war zone, the chopper carrying him along with another in the team took hits from ground anti-aircraft and missile fire.
Despite that, two CH-53E Super Stallions, accompanied by AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter gunships, executed the extraction.
The military later learned that, shortly before O’Grady’s aircraft was struck, a U-2, a surveillance aircraft renowned for its high-altitude skills, had spotted a glow from the elusive mobile location. However, it was unable to get the message to the two pilots in time.
O’Grady received a hero’s welcome in the United States, with parades, media appearances, and public acclaim. He was later transferred to the Air Force Reserve after the incident and continued flying F-16s for a time.
The brave pilot’s story from three decades ago remains one of the most compelling real-life accounts of aerial combat survival in modern military history.
- Contact the author at sakshi.tiwari13 (at) outlook.com
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