US pilot shot down over Iran recalls 'free-falling' in first interview since rescue
More than 90 U.S. service members joined a complex rescue as the wounded airman evaded capture for about 50 hours, officials said.
- On Sunday, a U.S. Air Force weapons systems officer identified as "Bravo" detailed his survival after his F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran in April, describing a harrowing parachute failure that left him stranded behind enemy lines for two days.
- The aircrew, call sign "Dude 44," was conducting an April 2 strike mission near Isfahan against facilities linked to Iran's drone and missile program when a shoulder-fired missile forced them to eject.
- Bravo sustained a broken back, arm, and shoulder after hitting the ground at high speed, yet hiked a 7,000-foot ridgeline to evade detection by Iranian forces before U.S. special operations personnel rescued him 50 hours later.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth characterized the complex rescue operation, which involved hundreds of personnel from Army Delta Force and Navy SEAL Team Six, as a "gun fight all the way in and all the way out."
- CNN reported Saturday that Defense Secretary Hegseth and political appointees pushed for the crew's participation in the interview despite reservations from the military's chain of command regarding classified rescue details.
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129 Articles
US General Calls F-15E Crew Rescue in Iran One of Military’s Most Complex
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, has described the operation to rescue two U.S. Air Force officers whose F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran in April as one of the most complex combat search-and-rescue missions in U.S. military history. The two-person crew, identified by the call signs “Dude […]
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US pilot reveals how he survived 50 hours with a broken back in Iranian mountains after being shot down by enemy forces
Bravo's ordeal became even more dangerous when his parachute failed to deploy properly. He fell towards the ground at an estimated 70 to 100 miles per hour before landing in a mountainous desert region.
The officer, identified with the mission name Dude 44 Bravo, publicly told his incredible survival story for the first time in an interview with 60 Minutes.
In April his fighter jet was shot down, search teams of the U.S. Army rescued the injured crew member only after two days. Now the weapon system officer »Bravo« talked in detail about the rescue operation.
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