The Weapons Systems Operator (WSO) from the F-15E Strike Eagle shot down over Iran has been rescued. (This article is being updated periodically as new information becomes available).
Summary
A USAF F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over southwest Iran on early Friday, April 3, 2026 (local time). reportedly in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province (see map) while conducting a deep strike mission. Both ejected from the F-15E and parachuted to the ground. They made contact with with U.S. forces via encrypted radio and activated their emergency location beacons (most likely a CSEL).
The F-15E Strike Eagle belonged to the 494th Fighter Squadron, of the 48th Fighter Wing of the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE). The 48th is located at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, England and consists of two F-15E squadrons.
As of mid-day Friday one crew member, the pilot, was recovered just hours after parachuting to the ground. One of the two HH-60W Jolly Green II combat rescue helicopters of the Personal Recovery Task Force (PRTF) was hit by ground fire. Several crew members were wounded; however, the helicopter was able to fly out of Iran with the F-15E pilot onboard. (SOF News, 3 Apr 2026)
An A-10 Thunderbolt II supporting the pilot rescue attempt received hostile fire. (NSI) The pilot got the aircraft out over the Persian Gulf, ejected, and was picked up by rescue forces.
The second aviator, the Weapons Systems Officer (WSO), signaled that he was on the ground evading Iranian forces, but Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) teams were unable to pick him up on Friday.
It is unknown what type of weapon system brought the F-15E down. Defense analyst speculate that it may have been Iran’s Bavar-373 (Wikipedia) long-range mobile surface-to-air missile system, a Russian-made S-300 missile system (Wikipedia), or a Russian provided 9K333 Verba shoulder-fired, infrared homing MANPADS (Wikipedia).
The WSO was rescued late on Saturday night, April 4, 2026 (EST). On Friday the aviator had moved away from the crash site, evaded enemy searchers, moved in a southeast direction from the crash site, found a hide site on a mountain ridge, and set up a beacon and emergency communications device. The aviator is reported to have some injuries after ejecting from the aircraft but was in good enough condition to walk and evade capture in the mountains for more than a day. The location (X, 5 Apr 2026) of the rescue was southwestern Iran in the midst of the Zagros Mountains. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), affiliated Basij militia units, and armed tribesmen conducted a massive search for the downed airman.
The rescue was a complicated mission involving many aircraft. Late Saturday night, April 4, 2026 (EST) a special operations ground force was inserted into a location near the hide site of the WSO not far from the Kolah Ghazi National Park. Social media accounts indicates that two MC-130Js infiled with 4 MH-6 Little Birds. One MH-6 flew to the mountain ridge (X, 5 Apr 2026) and brought the aviator back to the ad hoc landing strip (unconfirmed info). The ground force linked up with the evading crewmember and began setting up for extraction.
Another social media account says that the a HC-130J and MC-130J and 1-4 MH-6M helicopters (TWZ, 5 Apr 2026) were destroyed. All personnel were evacuated by three other MC-130Js. (Editor’s note: It will take time to sort this all out; this article will be updated as new info is confirmed.)
The ground team was supported by Air Force jets providing close air support and armed drone support. Roads leading to the extraction zone were struck to prevent Iranian reaction forces from entering the extraction zone area. Iranian news agencies posted photos of massive traffic jams of Iranian security elements attempting to reach the extraction zone area.
The operation did not go without a few complications. On Saturday, two MC-130Js landed to extract the rescuers and downed WSO airman but got stuck on the ground. The AFSOC aircraft were blown up and three new aircraft (AFSOC Dash-8s?) flew in for the extraction. There are news reports that some fighting took place between the ground rescue force and Iranian ground forces during the course of rescuing the second aviator. U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones protected the crew member from Iranian ground forces approaching his position.
There are unconfirmed reports that during the operation the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) launched a deception campaign prior to the rescue attempt of the WSO. The agency spread the word inside Iran that U.S. forces in Iran had already found him and were attempting a ground exfiltration in southern Iran – possibly ending in a coastal maritime exfil. Apparently, this diverted some Iranian security units away from the crash site location. (The Washington Post, 4 Apr 2026) (subscription)
Click here for a larger physiography map of Iran that opens in a new tab.
Timeline
- On April 3, 2026, a F-15E took hostile fire from Iraqi ground forces.
- Both aviators ejected out of their aircraft and parachuted to the ground. However, they were separated on the ground and lost contact with each other.
- They both made radio contact with higher command.
- The pilot was rescued by American rescue forces on Friday but the Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) could not be picked up by the rescue helicopters.
- Two HH-60 rescue helicopters were struck by enemy ground fire but managed to return to base.
- One of the A-10 Thunderbolt IIs supporting the rescue attempt took hostile fire. The pilot made it to Kuwaiti airspace over the Persian Gulf and bailed out. He was picked up by American rescue forces.
- On late evening of Saturday (4 April 2026) or early morning Sunday (5 April 2026) there are multiple reports from Iranian media of U.S. aircraft in the air over southwestern Iran.
- Two MC-130J AFSOC aircraft landed at a forward operating base to extract the rescue force and downed aviator. These two aircraft got stuck, they were blown up in place, and three more C-130s came in to conduct the extraction.
- Late on Saturday night major news networks (CNN, Fox, etc.) reported that the second airman had been rescued.
The successful recovery of both F-15E aircrew demonstrates continued U.S. ability to conduct personnel recovery operations inside highly contested environments. Combat search and rescue missions remain among the most complex air operations due to the requirement to rapidly locate isolated personnel while suppressing enemy air defenses and coordinating multiple joint force assets. The incident also underscores that Iranian integrated air defense systems retain limited capability to threaten coalition aircraft despite sustained strike operations by the United States and Israel.
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“Operation Epic Fury – U.S. Central Command Updates
https://www.centcom.mil/OPERATIONS-AND-EXERCISES/EPIC-FURY/
Top Image Credits: Iran province map outline by Yamaha5 – Iran location map.svg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25560707. Physical map by CIA. Photo of U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle assigned to 494th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron landing at a base in the Middle East, January 18, 2026, courtesy photo CENTCOM.
