The U.S. military mobilized nearly 180 aircraft over the weekend to extract two American airmen whose F-15E Strike Eagle went down deep inside Iranian territory, executing what military brass called an exceptionally perilous operation.
The two-person crew, identified by their callsigns Dude 44A and Dude 44B, were pulled from hostile terrain in what Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine characterized as an "air armada" of bombers, fighters, refueling tankers, helicopters, and unmanned systems. Specific aircraft included A-10 Warthogs, HC-130 Combat King II transports, and HH-60 Jolly Green II rescue helicopters, along with remotely piloted drones.
"The courage demonstrated by both the pilot and the weapon-system officer, while isolated and evading the enemy, cannot be overstated," Caine said at the White House Monday.
Massive Deception Operation
The rescue of the weapons-system officer alone required 155 aircraft, according to President Trump. Much of that force was designed to overwhelm and confuse Iranian forces searching for the downed crew.
Seven decoy locations were established across the landscape. Only one was genuine. "They said, 'Well, wait a minute. They've got groups here. They've got groups there,'" Trump explained. "America's military descended on the real area, engaged the enemy, rescued the stranded officer, destroyed all threats and exited Iranian territory."
The F-15 strike became the first manned American aircraft lost to enemy action during Operation Epic Fury. Trump attributed the loss to chance. "It was a lucky hit," he said. "Eventually, you get lucky. But we get lucky, too."
The U.S. military had previously lost three other Strike Eagles in a separate incident caused by friendly fire involving a Kuwaiti F/A-18 Hornet. American forces have also suffered losses of over a dozen MQ-9 Reapers, an E-3 Sentry during an Iranian attack on a Saudi base, and a KC-135 Stratotanker in an Iraqi crash.
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