After a US F-15E fighter jet crashed in Iran, an injured colonel hid in enemy territory for 50 hours. Despite a broken back, he fled the crash site and awaited a successful rescue.
Inside Iran, a US Air Force colonel remained hidden for nearly 50 hours in a severely injured state and was ultimately rescued successfully. The incident occurred in April when his F-15E fighter jet was downed in an Iranian attack.
The story of this daring rescue operation came to light on the American media CBS News program '60 Minutes', capturing global attention.
According to the report, on April 2, the F-15E, with the call sign 'Dude 44', was on a critical mission. Its main objective was to target industrial sites related to Iran's drone and missile program.
During this mission, the jet was targeted by an Iranian shoulder-fired missile, causing severe damage to the aircraft.
After the attack, both officers on board decided to eject. The pilot was rescued within a few hours, but the parachute of the weapons systems officer, identified by his mission call sign 'Bravo', was badly damaged.
As a result, he fell at a dangerous speed of about 70 to 100 miles per hour. Landing in a mountainous and desert area, he sustained severe injuries to his back, hand, and shoulder.
After landing on the ground, Colonel 'Bravo' knew well that if he stayed near the jet's wreckage, Iranian soldiers could easily capture him.
Therefore, disregarding his severe injuries, he decided to move away from the crash site.
According to US officials, finding 'Bravo' was a huge challenge. On one hand, the US military was searching for him, and on the other, Iranian soldiers were also scouring the area to capture the downed American airman.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kane, revealed that at one point, Iranian soldiers were extremely close to 'Bravo', only a few hundred meters away.
Amidst this tense situation, 'Bravo' managed to make contact with US forces. He reported that he was injured but still mobile.
Following this, the US intelligence agency CIA used various intelligence means and a diversionary strategy to pinpoint 'Bravo's' exact location. The US military also conducted attacks on nearby Iranian Revolutionary Guard bases to create a diversion.
More than 90 US military personnel were deployed on the ground for this rescue mission, while hundreds more in the air and several thousand other military personnel supported the mission.
However, the mission was not easy. Two US aircraft got stuck in the sand while landing on a temporary desert runway. According to the report, to prevent sensitive military equipment from falling into Iranian hands, the US military later had to destroy these planes and helicopters.
After a long wait of about 50 hours and a complex operation, 'Bravo' was safely extracted from Iran.
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