Monday, April 6, 2026

US military rescues downed F-15 crew members in Iran

US military forces successfully rescued both crew members of an F-15E fighter jet shot down over southern Iran, with President Trump confirming the second rescue on Sunday via Truth Social. The second crew member, a colonel, spent more than 24 hours evading Iranian forces in mountainous terrain before being extracted in a large-scale combat search and rescue operation involving dozens of aircraft. Iran claimed to have shot down additional US aircraft involved in the rescue effort, while the CIA played a key role in locating the airman through a deception campaign and real-time intelligence sharing.