US Plane Shot Down, Crew in Iranian Mountains

0:00On April 4th, a U.S. F-15 East Strike Eagle got taken down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile deep in southwest Iran, about 100 miles from the border. The two-man crew from a base in Jordan ejected safely over rugged mountains, but only the pilot made it out so far. This marks the first U.S. plane lost to enemy fire in the conflict that kicked off last month under Operation Epic Fury. The jet launched early Friday from a wafix salty airbase flew over Iraq for a mission near the Strait of Hormuz, cruising fast at around 1,800 miles per hour. No stealth tech on this bird, which likely made it vulnerable. Reckage picks from Iran match markings from the 494th Fighter Squadron out of RAF Lake and Heath. Rescue teams jumped into action quick, scrambling Black Hawk helicopters from Basra and Iraq with para-rescue jumpers. Those elite Air Force guys trained as medics, fighters, and climbers. They scooped the pilot under heavy fire from locals in the area, even taking hits but

1:03pushing through. One Black Hawk got dinged, and separately an A-10 warthog went down nearby, though its pilot was saved too. Meanwhile, Iranians are hunting the weapon systems officer, hard-and-cogalooie and boy-or-amad province, sealing off zones and offering a 50,000-pound reward for his capture alive. Several media shows tribesmen firing rifles at the choppers, turning the mountains into a real showdown. As the surge drags on, every hour ups the stakes with that second airman, with US forces racing Iran in this high stakes game over enemy turf. The skies stay tense, but these crews keep proving why they train non-stop for moments like this.