Second crew member from F-15 downed in Iran rescued by U.S. forces
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Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth monitor military operations from the White House on March 2, 2026. Photo: White House via X Account/Getty
U.S. special forces rescued the second crew member of the F-15 fighter jet that was shot down over Iran, three U.S. officials tell Axios.
- The crew member, a weapons system officer, was wounded after ejecting from the aircraft on Friday but could still walk, and evaded capture in the mountains for more than a day, one of officials said.
The big picture: The shootdown was a nightmare scenario for the U.S. military, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also racing to locate the missing U.S. officer in southwest Iran. Both crew members were rescued in special forces operations inside Iran.
- One official said Saturday's operation was conducted by a specialized commando unit with a high volume of air cover, that the U.S. forces unleashed a hail of heavy fire, and that all of the forces were now out of Iran.
How it happened: According to two sources, the F-15 pilot and weapons systems officer both made contact via their comms systems after ejecting on Friday.
- The pilot was rescued several hours after the plane was shot down. During that rescue operation, Iran struck a U.S. Blackhawk helicopter, wounding crew members, but it was able to fly on.
- It took more than a day to locate and rescue the weapons system officer.
Behind the scenes: A senior administration official told Axios that prior to locating the weapons system officer, the CIA launched a deception campaign by spreading word inside Iran that U.S. forces had already found him and were attempting a ground exfiltration.
- In the meantime, the CIA used "unique capabilities" to search for him. "This was the ultimate needle in a haystack but in this case it was a brave American soul inside a mountain crevice, invisible but for CIA's capabilities," the official said.
- According to the official, the CIA shared his precise location with the Pentagon, the U.S. military and The White House, and President Trump ordered an immediate rescue mission.
Zoom in: The IRGC had also sent forces to the region to try to prevent a rescue, according to two U.S. officials.
- U.S. Air Force jets conducted strikes against Iranian forces to prevent them from reaching the area, the sources said.
- Trump and senior members of his team followed the rescue operation from the White House Situation Room.
The latest: Trump confirmed the rescue on Truth Social, describing it as "one of the most daring search and rescue operations in U.S. history."
- He said the officer, a colonel, "sustained injuries but will be just fine."
- "This brave warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour," Trump wrote.
- A White House official said Trump was in the Oval Office throughout the day on Saturday and receiving constant updates from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Zoom out: In addition to the F-15 and Blackhawk, Iran also downed an A-10 attack aircraft on Friday, undercutting claims from Trump, Hegseth and other officials that the U.S. had unchecked dominance of the skies over Iran. That pilot was able to fly to friendly territory and eject safely.
- Trump claimed the fact that both crew members were rescued without any Americans being killed showed the U.S. did have "overwhelming air dominance and superiority."
- Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts have shown very little progress in recent days, two sources familiar with the indirect talks say.
- Trump threatened on Saturday that "hell will reign down" on Iran if the regime doesn't agree to open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. He has previously threatened to strike civilian infrastructure, such as power plants.
Go deeper: Trump threatens Iran with "hell" if Hormuz strait isn't open in 48 hours
