politics
U.S. Air Force pilot survived two shoot-downs in three months
A U.S. Air Force pilot ejected safely from an F-15E after an Iranian missile strike in April, having survived a separate friendly-fire incident over Kuwait the previous month. Military sources described both events and the subsequent rescue operations.
New York PostAudio version
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A U.S. Air Force pilot ejected from an F-15E Strike Eagle after an Iranian surface-to-air missile struck the aircraft on April 3 in southwestern Iran. The same pilot had been shot down a month earlier when a Kuwaiti F/A-18 fired on three American F-15Es over Kuwait on March 2.
All six U.S. airmen involved in the March 2 incident ejected and recovered without injury. The cause of the Kuwait incident remains under investigation, according to U.S. military statements.
April incident details The April 3 strike occurred in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province near the Iraqi border. The pilot reported seeing a formation of Iranian drones before ejecting and landing behind enemy lines. U.S. Special Operations forces rescued the pilot within half a day.
The weapons systems officer remained on the ground for 36 hours with a reported $60,000 bounty before being extracted.
Rescue operation The weapons systems officer climbed a 7,000-foot ridge with a broken leg and hid in the Zagros Mountains during the rescue. Two MC-130J Commando II transports and one MH-6/AH-6 Little Bird helicopter were destroyed in the operation. President Trump stated at the time of the rescue that U.S. forces do not leave Americans behind.
