World News
U.S. Air Force officer details shootdown and rescue in Iran
An American aviator survived a severe fall and high-desert evasion after his F-15E was hit by an Iranian missile.
The short version
- An Air Force officer identified as Bravo recounted ejecting from his F-15E jet after it was struck by an Iranian missile in April.[CBS News · NBC News]
- Despite suffering multiple injuries and a damaged parachute, Bravo evaded Iranian forces that got within a few hundred meters of his location.[CBS News]
- A clandestine U.S. operation extracted Bravo and over 90 special operators after a rescue plane's landing gear became stuck in the sand.[CBS News]
- U.S. forces subsequently destroyed their own stranded aircraft to prevent technology from being captured by Iran.[CBS News]
Key facts
- An American F-15E fighter jet, call sign Dude 44, was shot down over Iran by a missile in April.[CBS News]
- The weapons systems officer, call sign Bravo, descended with a damaged parachute at an estimated 70 to 100 miles per hour.[CBS News]
- Bravo climbed a 7,000-foot ridgeline to evade Iranian forces that approached within a few hundred meters.[CBS News]
- The Defense Department has not publicly identified the officer by name.[NBC News]
- U.S. forces bombed the stranded aircraft in the desert to prevent it from being captured by Iranian forces.[CBS News]
What remains uncertain
- Bravo's precise rate of descent during the ejection could not be exactly measured, though debriefers estimated it between 70 and 100 miles per hour.[CBS News]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.
- 6 takeaways from our interview with the officer shot down in IranCBS News - Top Stories
- Air Force officer recalls ‘free-falling’ after jet was shot down over IranNBC News - Top Stories
- How a wounded Air Force officer stayed safe in Iran after plane was shot downCBS News - Top Stories