A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft takes off for a mission during Operation Epic Fury, March 9, 2026.USAF
Reports surfaced Friday that an F-15E, a cutting-edge American warplane, was shot down over Iranian territory – marking the first U.S. aircraft downed by enemy assault in the conflict.
Authorities informed ABC News that one pilot had been saved, but a high-stakes search and rescue effort was in progress for the second member of the two-person crew.
For a couple of days, information regarding the search was unavailable. Then, late Sunday, officials disclosed the retrieval of the second airman.
The airman, a colonel, was stranded in the "perilous Iranian mountains" with Iranian forces closing in, stated President Donald Trump. What followed was a large-scale operation that included misleading the Iranian military via deception, resulting in the recovery "deep within hostile Territory."
On Sunday, Trump lauded the undertaking as "one of the "most audacious Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History" and, in a social media message, declared, "WE GOT HIM!"
According to a U.S. official, the recovered crew member served as the weapon systems officer (WSO) on the two-seat aircraft that was brought down by Iranian offensive action on Friday.
U.S. search and rescue teams rescued the F-15E pilot on Friday.
Two Black Hawk helicopters involved in the operation to retrieve the pilot also endured Iranian fire during Friday’s rescue attempt. Some crew members sustained injuries, but they successfully returned to safety, U.S. officials reported.
A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft takes off for a mission during Operation Epic Fury, March 9, 2026.USAF
An A-10 Warthog aircraft, furnishing close air support for the rescue operation on Friday, also suffered hits from Iranian fire, but it succeeded in returning to Kuwait where the pilot safely ejected before the plane crashed.
Early Sunday, Trump commented that the undertaking to rescue the second airman occurred over numerous hours and necessitated numerous aircraft. The rescued crew member sustained wounds "but he will be just fine," Trump stated, adding he is "SAFE and SOUND!"
Later on Sunday morning, Trump announced the recovered airman was "seriously wounded."
"This courageous Warrior was positioned behind enemy lines in the treacherous Iranian mountains, being pursued by our adversaries, who were closing in by the hour, but was never truly alone because his Commander in Chief, Secretary of War, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and fellow Warfighters were monitoring his location 24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue," Trump wrote.
Trump clarified that the earlier rescue of the F-15E pilot was not disclosed on Friday to avoid endangering the rescue mission for the weapon systems officer.
"This marks the first instance in military history where two U.S. Pilots have been saved, separately, deep inside Hostile Territory," Trump stated in the post. "WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AN AMERICAN WARFIGHTER BEHIND!"
A photo posted on Iranian State Media, appears to show an F-15 ejection seat following the reports of two pilots ejecting from their planes over Iran. April 3, 2025.Iran State Media
Two C-130 aircraft engaged in the rescue operation became immobilized at a site inside Iran during the mission, two U.S. officials informed ABC News. U.S. forces deliberately destroyed the incapacitated aircraft to prevent them from falling into Iranian possession, they indicated.
According to a U.S. official, U.S. forces also purposefully destroyed four MH-6 Little Bird helicopters utilized in the rescue operation. The official stated that the helicopters were used to transport U.S. military personnel from the landing strip, where the MC-130Js had landed, to the mountainous region where the crewmember was situated.
One of the officials mentioned that both C-130s were detonated due to mechanical problems. Both destroyed aircraft were MC-130Js, which are specifically engineered for special operations assignments.
As a consequence, both officials stated that three more replacement aircraft had to be flown into Iran to transport the airman and the rescue teams out of the country.
"The Iranian Military was diligently searching, in large numbers, and getting closer," Trump remarked regarding Tehran's quest for the airman. "This type of raid is seldom attempted because of the danger to 'man and equipment.' It just doesn’t happen!"
"The second raid transpired following the first, where we rescued the pilot in broad daylight, also uncommon, spending seven hours over Iran. An AMAZING exhibition of bravery and skill by all!" Trump further expressed.
The president announced Sunday that he will hold a press conference on Monday at 1 p.m. ET to deliberate on the operation.
FILE – A U.S. Air Force airman pushes a cart past an F-15E Strike Eagle at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan on Oct. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)The Associated Press
A senior administration official informed ABC News that the CIA also contributed to the rescue of the second F-15E crew member.
Before the downed airman was discovered and rescued, the official revealed that the CIA "initiated a disinformation campaign, disseminating information within Iran that U.S. forces had already located him and were transporting him on the ground for removal from the country."
The agency aided in pinpointing the airman's position, according to the official, who described it as the ultimate “needle in a haystack” to locate the airman within a mountain crevice. The official stated that this intelligence was subsequently relayed to the Pentagon and White House to launch the rescue operation.
"The president mandated an immediate rescue operation, which the DoW executed with courage and precision, with CIA providing ongoing real-time intelligence," the official added.
ABC News' Isabella Murray assisted with this report.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com