Rescue team in Iran face ‘harrowing and dangerous’ search for US crew member

Iranian Rescue Team Undertakes High-Risk Mission to Recover US Crew Member

Initial reports suggest the pilot of a US F-15 fighter jet shot down over Iran has been successfully recovered, marking another chapter in the nation’s decades-long history of combat search-and-rescue operations. Meanwhile, efforts to locate the second crew member continue deep within Iranian territory, as reported by CBS, the BBC’s US partner.

Combat search and rescue (CSAR) missions are widely regarded as some of the most intricate and urgent military tasks. These operations demand precision, speed, and adaptability, often unfolding in hostile environments where time is critical. Unlike typical rescue efforts, which may occur during humanitarian aid or post-disaster scenarios, CSAR missions take place under immediate threat, with teams working to extract personnel from contested zones.

“Harrowing and massively dangerous is an understatement,” said a former commander of a pararescue jumpers squadron. “This is what they train to do, all over the world. They are known as the Swiss Army knives of the Air Force.”

Verified footage from Iran on Friday depicted US military helicopters and at least one refueling aircraft operating in the Khuzestan province. Such missions require coordination with support assets, as enemy forces are likely to mobilize quickly to intercept the rescue team.

According to Jonathan Hackett, a former US Marine Corps Special Operations specialist, the priority during these operations is to identify signs of life. “They’re trying to work backwards from the last point they knew that person was, and fan out based on the speed that person could move under different circumstances in this really difficult terrain,” he explained.

CSAR missions have roots tracing back to World War I, when pilots conducted impromptu landings in France to recover downed comrades. The US military’s pararescue units, which specialize in such operations, were formally established after the conflict. Their lineage can be traced to a 1943 mission in which two combat surgeons parachuted into Burma—now Myanmar—to assist wounded soldiers. The first helicopter rescue occurred a year later, when a US lieutenant extracted four soldiers from behind Japanese lines, as noted in Smithsonian’s Air & Space Magazine.

Modern CSAR operations gained prominence during the Vietnam War, which saw a dramatic expansion in their scope and complexity. A notable mission, Bat 21, resulted in the loss of several aircraft and multiple casualties while attempting to recover a pilot from North Vietnamese territory. This experience refined tactics and procedures that now underpin contemporary rescue efforts. While each US military branch maintains limited capabilities, the Air Force bears the primary responsibility for locating and retrieving personnel in need.