Overview
- The F-15E Strike Eagle reported down Friday in southwestern Iran left two crew members to eject, with one recovered and one still missing.
- U.S. Combat Search and Rescue teams, which stand alert for such missions, moved in with a mix of HC-130 support planes, HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters, fighter escorts and surveillance aircraft in mountainous terrain.
- Aircrew survival training known as SERE teaches hiding and evasion, and pilots carry radios, survival vests and blood chits that ask locals for help in returning them safely.
- The U.S. personnel-recovery playbook prioritizes getting people out first and, if a site cannot be secured, destroying wreckage to block access to sensors, weapons systems and other classified gear.
- Iranian state media published debris images, and experts warn a capture or intact components could fuel propaganda campaigns or set off hard diplomatic bargaining.