The rescuers had to move fast to get to the airman, who was injured, as Iranian television broadcast a reward for his capture. Iranian media on Sunday broadcast footage of what appeared to be the charred wreckage of U.S. military aircraft on the airstrip. The mission was high-risk, with U.S. C-130s and rescue helicopters flying low and slow over Iran’s mountainous terrain to locate the missing airman. Around the same time that the fighter jet was shot down on Friday, an A-10 Thunderbolt II attack plane was struck by incoming fire from Iran. Aircrews and recovery personnel are on constant standby for such operations, which involve rushing into rapidly evolving and chaotic environments.

Source: Washington Post April 06, 2026 22:15 UTC