US military releases footage of massive operation to rescue injured airman stranded inside Iran
U.S. Forces Release New Footage of April Rescue Mission in Iran
A newly released video from the U.S. military shows the dramatic moments of one of the largest combat search‑and‑rescue operations carried out in modern times. The footage, posted on Tuesday, documents the search for and recovery of a severely injured U.S. Air Force officer who was stranded in the interior of Iran after his aircraft was brought down by an Iranian missile.
The Incident
On April 4, a U.S. F‑15E Strike Eagle, call sign “Dude 44,” was struck by an Iranian shoulder‑fire missile while flying over hostile territory. The two‑man crew—pilot “Dude 44 Alpha” and weapons systems officer “Dude 44 Bravo”—ejected from the aircraft and landed in separate locations miles apart. Both were left isolated inside Iran.
Alpha was rescued after a little more than six hours, but Bravo suffered a broken back, arm and shoulder from a hard landing caused by a damaged parachute. He remained trapped for nearly two days before U.S. forces reached him.
The Rescue
The new video captures the effort to locate and extract Bravo. U.S. helicopters swept the area while air support—bombers and drones—targeted Iranian Revolutionary Guard positions that were in close proximity to the missing officer. As daylight broke over a rugged desert valley, Bravo, despite his injuries, managed to walk away from his landing site and climb a steep 7,000‑foot ridgeline.
On April 5, two elite Air Force pararescue operators, known as PJs, arrived at the ridgeline and reached Bravo. “The moment I saw my rescuers was one of the greatest moments of my life,” the officer said. “Let’s go,” he recalled telling the team as they began the extraction.
The operation brought 92 U.S. service members onto the ground in Iran for the first time since 1980, a move that was described by U.S. Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper as unprecedented. While hundreds of personnel supported the mission from the air, between 3,000 and 5,000 service members were involved in the overall effort, according to Cooper.
After the pararescue team located Bravo, two rescue aircraft landed on a makeshift desert runway. However, the landing gear became trapped in sand, leaving Bravo and more than 90 U.S. personnel stranded inside Iran. A clandestine Air Force unit was eventually deployed to extract the group. Bravo was finally brought to safety roughly 50 hours after the original shoot‑down, with the final extraction completed as the sun rose on Easter Sunday.
U.S. Response
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine told CBS News this week that Iranian ground forces had a clear intent to find the two men. “There was clear intent out of the Iranian ground force to come find those two guys,” Caine said, underscoring the urgency and danger of the mission.
The new video, now publicly available, provides a rare glimpse into the complexity and danger of a combat search‑and‑rescue mission deep inside enemy territory. The footage will likely be used in future training and historical records of the operation.