Rare military mission to Iran of the “Swiss army knives of the Air Force”. American elite troops are now searching for the missing pilot

Despite the statements made by the Trump administration, which has repeatedly claimed that the Iranians have little military capability, Tehran managed, for the first time since the beginning of the conflict, to shoot down two US planes. Now, US special forces are on a rescue mission under time pressure.

Information so far indicates that one of the pilots of the US F-15E fighter jet downed over Iran has been rescued. If confirmed, it would be the latest mission in the long history of US combat search and rescue operations, carried out over decades, the BBC writes.

The search operation for the second crew member is ongoing inside Iran, according to CBS.

Combat search and rescue (CSAR) missions are considered among the most complex, time-critical operations for which US and allied forces prepare.

In the US, elite Air Force units are specially trained for such missions and are often pre-emptively deployed near conflict zones where aircraft could be lost.

How missions play out

CSAR missions are military operations designed to locate, assist and rescue personnel in danger, including downed pilots and isolated troops.

Unlike conventional search and rescue efforts, which may take place as part of humanitarian operations or following disasters, CSAR missions take place in hostile environments.

In some cases, such as Friday's recovery operation in Iran, operations can take place deep in enemy territory.

CSAR missions are often conducted by helicopters, with refueling aircraft in support and other military aircraft available to conduct strikes and patrol the area.

A former paratrooper squadron commander told CBS News that a rescue operation like the one in Iran would involve at least 24 paratroopers scouting the area with Black Hawk helicopters.

According to the ex-serviceman, the team is prepared to jump from the aircraft if necessary, and once on the ground, their priority is to contact the missing crew member.

“An extremely dangerous situation”

After locating him, rescue paratroopers would administer medical aid if needed, avoid the enemy and get to a place where they could be extracted, according to CBS News.

“To say it's an extremely dangerous situation is an understatement,” the former commander told CBS News.

“That's what they train for, all over the world. They're known as the Swiss Army Knife of the Air Force,” the former serviceman said.

A verified video that emerged from Iran on Friday appeared to show US military helicopters and at least one refueling plane operating over Iran's Khuzestan province.

WATCH:

🇮🇷🇺🇸 US helicopters and fueler flying extremely low, in the vicinity of Izeh, Khuzestan Province in Iran pic.twitter.com/ikG7s9mQqU

— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) April 3, 2026

According to the Fars news agency, the Iranians are searching for the missing pilot in that area.

NEW — 🇮🇷🇺🇸 Fars Iranian News Agency:
Iranians in Khuzestan province are searching for the American pilot. pic.twitter.com/ADVvUFEBuQ

— UK Report (@UK_REPT) April 3, 2026

The missions are races against the clock as there is a risk that enemy forces will be deployed in the same area to try and locate the US servicemen that the CSAR teams are trying to rescue.

Former US Marine Corps special operations specialist Jonathan Hackett told the BBC that a rescue team's priority is to identify signs of life.

“It tries to reconstruct the route from the last known point where the person was and expand the search based on the distance they could have traveled, under various conditions, in extremely difficult terrain,” Hackett explained.

According to him, such an operation could be framed as a “non-standard assisted recovery mission”, where local groups in the area could be contacted in advance to set up backup plans, which can be quickly activated to support possible rescue operations.

First mission, in the First World War

Air rescue missions in wartime have a long history, dating back to the first world conflagration, when pilots made makeshift landings in France to rescue their downed colleagues.

The US Army's air rescue units originated from a 1943 mission in which two war surgeons parachuted into the former Burma, now Myanmar, to help wounded soldiers.

The world's first helicopter rescue operation took place a year later, when an American lieutenant rescued four soldiers behind Japanese lines, according to Smithsonian's Air & Space Magazine. The incident also marked the first operational use of a helicopter in combat.

Formal search and rescue units were first established in the US immediately after the conflict. But modern missions began during the Vietnam War.

A mission known as Bat 21 resulted in the loss of several aircraft and numerous American casualties while attempting to recover the pilot of a downed aircraft behind North Vietnamese lines.

Film inspired by such a mission

Although each branch of the US military has its own limited emergency search and rescue (CSAR) capabilities, the US Air Force has primary responsibility for locating and rescuing military personnel.

This mission is mainly performed by the so-called “rescue parachutists”. Their motto is “These Things We Do, That Others May Live,” and their work is considered part of a promise to American service members that they will not be left behind.

These military personnel are highly trained as both combatants and paramedics and go through what is considered one of the toughest selection and training processes in the US military. This process takes about two years.

On the ground, these teams are led by specialist combat rescue officers who are responsible for planning, coordinating and executing recovery missions.

Rare rescue missions in recent decades

“Parachute rescue” teams were widely deployed throughout the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and flew thousands of missions to rescue American and allied troops who were injured or in need of evacuation.

In 2005, Air Force teams were involved in the recovery of an elite U.S. Navy SEAL who was wounded and seeking shelter in an Afghan village after his squad was ambushed and its three other members killed — an incident that was later featured in the Mark Wahlberg and Eric Bana movie Lone Survivor.

Missions to recover downed American pilots have been rare in recent decades. In 1999, the pilot of an F-117 stealth fighter downed over Serbia was found and recovered by members of a CSAR team.

In a highly publicized incident in Bosnia in 1995, American pilot Scott O'Grady was rescued in a joint Air Force and Marine Corps CSAR mission after being shot down and evading capture for six days.