Image: 조선일보

U.S. Special Forces Rescue Second F-15 Pilot From Iran After 37-Hour Mission

05 April, 2026.Iran.54 sources

Key Takeaways

Second F-15E crew member rescued by U.S. forces from remote Iranian mountains.
Trump announced the rescue, describing it as daring and complex.
The operation followed the downing of a U.S. fighter jet in Iran.

Daring Rescue Operation

President Trump announced U.S. forces had rescued the second F-15 crew member shot down over Iran.

Trump called it one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History.

@globaltimesnews

The operation involved dozens of aircraft and was conducted in broad daylight over seven hours.

The CIA ran a deception campaign while special forces extracted the airman from mountainous terrain.

Two MC-130J aircraft were destroyed on the ground to prevent capture.

Iran's Claims and Material Losses

Iran claimed to have shot down several American aircraft during the rescue operation.

The U.S. acknowledged destroying two MC-130J aircraft on the ground.

ABC News

The Iran-Israel conflict had already accelerated Iran's push to close the Strait of Hormuz.

Human Rights Activists News Agency documented 3,531 killed by U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran.

Strategic and Political Implications

The rescue was viewed as a significant victory for the U.S.

“United States President Donald Trump said early on Sunday that an American soldier who went missing in Iran after the downing of his F-15E jet has been rescued following what observers called a dramatic firefight between Iranian and US rescue forces”