Watch: How fighter jets paved an escape route to rescue the navigator from Iran

The US military has released dramatic video footage from the rescue operation of an F-15E navigator shot down in Iranian territory in April 2026. The footage shows helicopter searches at 2,100 meters altitude, airstrikes against Revolutionary Guard forces, landing of rescue aircraft deep in Iran, and elite unit fighters reaching the wounded navigator, who survived about 50 hours with severe fractures.

The United States military released yesterday (Tuesday) rare and dramatic video footage from the rescue operation of an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet navigator, who was shot down in Iranian territory in April 2026 after being hit by an Iranian shoulder-fired missile. The navigator, known as "Bravo," survived about 50 hours alone, suffering from severe fractures in his back, arm, and shoulder, after an arduous trek through a mountain ridge at an altitude of over 2,100 meters. The released footage shows the intensive search efforts of attack and reconnaissance helicopters looking for the navigator in the desert valley and on cliff slopes. Alongside this, precise airstrikes by bombers and unmanned aircraft are seen against ground forces of the Revolutionary Guards who approached the area. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, emphasized that there was a clear intention by the Iranian force to reach and find the crew members. The highlight of the footage focuses on the landing of two large rescue aircraft on an improvised desert strip deep in Iran, from which light "Little Bird" helicopters took off towards the point where the navigator was located. Elite combat rescue unit fighters reached the wounded man, who called out to them "Let's go." The footage also reveals the scale of the operation: 92 commando fighters operating on Iranian soil, and the malfunction where the wheels of the transport aircraft sank into the desert sand, moments that nearly trapped the rescue force in enemy territory.