US Air Force weapons officer survives 50‑hour ordeal after F‑15E shot down in Iran, rescued on Easter

An Iranian shoulder‑launched missile struck a US Air Force F‑15E near Isfahan in April, forcing the crew to eject. The pilot, call sign Alpha, was recovered in a daylight raid eight hours after ejection. The back‑seater, call sign Bravo, suffered a broken back, arm and shoulder when his parachute was damaged and spent nearly 50 hours evading Iranian forces in the mountainous desert before being rescued on Easter Sunday.

Declassified video now shows the daylight rescue of Alpha and infrared footage of pararescuers retrieving Bravo. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine described the operation as one of the most complex in recent US history.