Archive · 14 Sep 2026
Declassified Footage Reveals Dramatic Rescue of Downed US Airmen
A U.S. fighter jet was hit by a missile in Iran.
Two officers escaped by using their ejection seats.
They landed far apart from each other.
Iranian forces searched for them, while U.S. forces planned rescues.
One officer, called Alpha, was rescued during a risky daytime mission.
The other, called Bravo, hid for almost two days despite having a broken back.
Pararescue operators found Bravo on a steep mountain and helped him reach a helicopter.
The Central Intelligence Agency also used misleading information to confuse people searching for the officers.
An F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down by an Iranian shoulder-fired missile south of Isfahan on April 2.
The two officers, identified by call signs Alpha and Bravo, ejected safely but landed roughly five miles apart.
U.S. forces mounted separate rescue efforts while Iranian forces searched for the stranded airmen.
Alpha was recovered during a high-risk daytime operation, while Bravo evaded capture for nearly two days with a broken back.
Declassified footage shows Bravo’s rescue and the disabling of two MC-130J aircraft at a makeshift desert airstrip.
- Who
- Two U.S. Air Force officers, identified by the call signs Alpha and Bravo, were rescued by U.S. forces.
- What
- A downed F-15E crew was located and extracted from Iranian territory.
- When
- The jet was shot down on April 2; declassified footage was shared on Monday, September 14.
- Where
- The aircraft went down south of Isfahan, Iran; Bravo was rescued on a 7,000-foot mountain ridgeline.
- Why
- U.S. forces conducted the operation to recover the stranded officers before Iranian forces could capture them.
Reported Rescue Attribution
Alternative Rescue Attribution
Who rescued Alpha
Reported Rescue Attribution
Two U.S. officials told CNN that special operations forces carried out the successful rescue mission, with the CIA identifying Alpha’s location and sharing it with the military.
Alternative Rescue Attribution
The New York Times reported that Navy SEAL Team 6 commandos extracted the pilot, although U.S. authorities did not confirm that account.
Deception operation
Reported Rescue Attribution
The CIA reportedly circulated false information that both crew members had been recovered to confuse Iranian forces searching for them.
Alternative Rescue Attribution
The available reporting does not provide an officially confirmed alternative account of the CIA deception campaign.
- Aircraft
- F-15E Strike Eagle
- Incident date
- April 2
- Crash location
- South of Isfahan, Iran
- Crew
- Two officers, known as Alpha and Bravo
- Bravo's condition
- Broken back after evading capture for nearly two days
- Rescue footage
- Declassified videos shared by CBS News on September 14
- Operational complication
- Two MC-130J special operations transport aircraft became disabled at a makeshift desert airstrip