U.S. DEPLOYS 155 AIRCRAFT IN ONE OF HISTORY’S MOST COMPLEX COMBAT RESCUES INSIDE IRAN
The U.S. military successfully recovered both crew members of an F-15E Strike Eagle shot down over Iran on April 3, 2026, in two separate operations that President Trump called “one of the most daring search and rescue missions in U.S. history.”
The pilot was rescued within hours using 21 aircraft. The weapons systems officer, a Colonel, evaded Iranian capture for over 40 hours in the Zagros Mountains before SEAL Team Six extracted him using a force of 155 aircraft, including 4 bombers, 64 fighters, 48 refueling tankers, and 13 rescue platforms.
The CIA ran a deception campaign to misdirect Iranian search teams, located the officer’s distress beacon, and fed real-time intelligence to the Pentagon. Two U.S. transport aircraft that became stranded during extraction were intentionally destroyed to prevent capture. No American personnel were killed in either operation.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine confirmed the total rescue fleet across both missions reached approximately 176 aircraft.
Defense Secretary Hegseth stated a secure coordination call ran uninterrupted for 45 hours and 56 minutes throughout the mission.
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Sources: Stars and Stripes | CBS News | NBC News | Axios | Military(dot)com | White House Press Conference, April 6, 2026