New details were released during a White House press conference which described the rescue of the crew of DUDE 44, the F-15E Strike Eagle that went down in Iran.
The rescue of the crew of the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet shot down over Iran has rapidly emerged as one of the most complex and high-risk combat search and rescue (CSAR) operations in recent U.S. military history. New details have been released during a White House press conference by U.S. President Donald Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
A “Lucky Shot”
The events started in the early morning April 3 local time when the F-15E, flying with the callsign DUDE 44, was struck by Iranian fire. While the Pentagon did not previously provide details, Trump now said the Iranians “got lucky” with a shoulder-fired heat-seeking missile.
This appears to be a reference to Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS), which are still active in the Iran and reportedly targeted other U.S. aircraft too. While Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) continue to erode Iranian anti-air capabilities, the MANPADS threat is different.
In fact, while larger air defense systems such as static and vehicle-mounted missile launchers can easily be spotted and targeted, the MANPADS threat is more subtle, as the size of those systems means they can be more easily hidden.
Gen. Caine explained that the Joint Personnel Recovery Center (JPRC) for the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) declared an isolated personnel recovery event at 4:40 a.m. local time. The F-15E was down in hostile territory and both the pilot and the weapon system officer (WSO) safely ejected.
Upon confirmation of the rescue beacons were active, a rescue mission was launched for DUDE 44 Alpha – the pilot – and DUDE 44 Bravo – the WSO.
DUDE 44 Alpha
Within hours, after positively locating the pilot, a CSAR task force made of 21 aircraft, including A-10C Thunderbolt IIs, HC-130J Combat King IIs and HH-60W Jolly Green IIs, as well as Combat Rescue Officers and Pararescuemen operators, was launched. The mission was them flying into Iranian airspace for hours in broad daylight.
Gen. Caine confirmed the authenticity of videos which quickly spread on social media, showing the HC-130J refueling two HH-60W over Iran. This allowed them to press into the objective area.
Meanwhile, a fighter strike package protected the task force. Among them were remotely piloted aircraft and the A-10Cs, flying in the Sandy role, as the CSAR support mission is commonly called.
.@thejointstaff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine: “This was an incredibly dangerous mission, an incredibly dangerous undertaking, but a filled promise made to every American warfighter — that you will not be left behind. We will always come find you, and we will always bring you home.” pic.twitter.com/wA9Y78qvfS
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 6, 2026
These aircraft were engaging the Iranian forces to keep them away from the F-15E’s pilot. It was during these engagement that one of the A-10s was hit by enemy fire.
The aircraft, according to Caine, was “the one primarily responsible for communicating with the downed pilot.” The A-10C remained in the fight and, while returning to the base at the end of the mission, the pilot “determined the airplane was not landable,” before ejecting over friendly territory.
The General also confirmed that the helicopters came under fire, saying the HH-60 flight was “engaged by every single person in Iran who has a small arms weapon.” The trailing aircraft took several hits, with the crew sustaining only minor injuries.
DUDE 44 Bravo
As mentioned in previous reports, the rescue of the WSO required a larger effort, which ultimately succeeded after 36 hours behind enemy lines. According to Trump, the WSO – identified as a Colonel – was “injured quite badly” following the ejection.
The area saw the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and local militias actively hunting for the WSO. Applying the Survival, Evasion, Resistance & Escape (SERE) training, the WSO evaded capture climbing into “treacherous mountain terrain” and reaching a “mountain holdout,” later making contact with U.S. forces.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the agency helped to locate and confirm the identity of the WSO, without providing details as “these capabilities fall under covert action authorities.” Trump however later described the technology as a “camera,” which surveilled the area and observed the WSO for “45 minutes” until positive identification.
.@thejointstaff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine: “The force fought through multiple simultaneous contingencies, something no other nation, no other military can do, and safely returned… the backseater home.” pic.twitter.com/HxXAKE22UL
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 6, 2026
The second rescue mission was then launched, with 155 aircraft involved. Among these were “four bombers, 64 fighters, 48 refueling tankers, and 13 rescue aircraft,” said Trump.
As part of the deception, seven different locations were attacked to avoid the Iranians identifying the correct objective area. “We wanted to have them think he was in a different location, because they had a vast military force out there,” Trump said.
Two MC-130 Commando II aircraft then landed on “wet and sandy” terrain. “This was a farm, not a runway. It’s a farm. But it did the trick,” added Trump. Three A/MH-6 Little Bird helicopters were unloaded and within minutes were flying towards the objective to extract the WSO.
When time arrived to leave, the MC-130s were stuck and could not take off again. As a replacement, “lighter, faster aircraft came in, and they took them out,” said Trump, which appears to point to the videos of the C-295W from the AFSOC’s secretive 427th Special Operations Squadron flying at low altitude in Iran.
Ujęcia amerykańskich samolotów na zachodniej granicy Iranu z dzisiejszego poranka. pic.twitter.com/kFH3hXofjZ
— Obserwator Wojen (@ObserwatorWojen) April 5, 2026
The MC-130s and the Little Birds were thus destroyed on site to avoid sensitive equipment falling into enemy hands.
