The two American pilots whose plane was shot down over Iran are safe aboard the aircraft carrier "Abraham Lincoln", where they are undergoing medical examinations
On April 5, it was officially confirmed by President Donald Trump and the Pentagon that the second pilot of the downed F-15 fighter jet had also been found and rescued. He spent about two days in limbo on Iranian territory, while Tehran conducted a large-scale operation to capture him.
The first pilot was rescued on April 3, immediately after the incident, when the plane was shot down by Iranian air defenses in the southwestern part of the country. The operation was carried out in broad daylight by two US helicopters, one of which was slightly damaged by gunfire but returned safely.
The second crew member - a weapons systems officer - was announced as rescued by President Donald Trump early Sunday, April 5. He had been hiding in a mountain gorge for two days while Iranian forces and armed civilians searched for him.
He is seriously injured but in stable condition. The operation to rescue the co-pilot involved the elite Delta Force and SEAL Team Six. The CIA played a critical role in locating him and conducted a "disinformation campaign" to mislead Iranian authorities about his location.
During the US rescue mission, Iran said it had shot down other US aircraft. It has been confirmed that an A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft was hit and crashed in Kuwait, and its pilot was also rescued.
Two US aircraft were reportedly hit on the ground during the rescue mission itself, which suffered mechanical damage. During the operation, the US destroyed two of its own aircraft (a helicopter and a drone) to prevent technology from falling into Iranian hands.
The Iranian side initially announced a reward for the capture of the “enemy pilot“, but American teams were able to find him first through a signal from his radio station.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that Israel had assisted in the successful completion of the mission.