Risky rescue of U.S. crew downed in Iran relied on dozens of aircraft and subterfuge, Trump says

[Hol]

• The U.S. military rescued an F-15E crew from deep inside Iran using dozens of aircraft, CIA technology and strategic deception in a complex two-day operation.
• The pilot was recovered within hours of ejecting, but rescuing the weapons officer took nearly two days as he evaded Iranian forces in mountainous terrain.
• An A-10 Warthog supporting the rescue was damaged by enemy fire but its pilot escaped and was rescued.

WASHINGTON — The United States relied on dozens of aircraft, hundreds of personnel, secret CIA technology and a dose of subterfuge to rescue a two-man F-15E fighter jet crew downed deep inside Iran, a risky mission that President Trump and his top defense aides detailed Monday.

Risky rescue of U.S. crew downed in Iran relied on dozens of aircraft and subterfuge, Trump says

The U.S. relied on dozens of aircraft, hundreds of personnel, secret CIA technology and subterfuge to rescue a two-man F-15E fighter jet crew downed in Iran.

www.latimes.com

 

[Hol]

More from the article:

The rescue of the F-15 pilot occurred before the Iranians could marshal a comprehensive search of their own, but finding and bringing home the weapon systems officer was an even more complicated endeavor.

The officer, who rode in the backseat of the F-15 flying under the call sign Dude-44 Bravo, was injured but followed his training to get as far from the crash site as possible. He managed to climb mountainous terrain and hide inside a cave or crevice. He contacted U.S. forces Saturday.

When a plane crashes in hostile territory, “they all head right to that site, you want to be as far away as you can,” Trump said.

 

[Andy C]

Without a doubt, one of the most daring, and complicated rescue operation ever conducted, a feat only our military has the technology and equipment to successfully complete.

Trump was bold his leadership to approve of such a risky mission that had the potential of a huge loss of life for our brave warriors.

 

[mattfivefour]

I love the fact that the very first message that the WSO, Dude44B, transmitted Easter morning to signal his position to American rescuers were the words "God is good"!!!