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  "path": "/news/world/iran/iran-fighter-jet-rescue-special-forces-pararescue-us-news",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-04T11:42:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "SECOND US warplane 'shot down in Persian Gulf' as Americans scramble to rescue missing pilot",
    "US pilot rescued after Iran shoots down fighter jet as urgent search for serviceman still underway",
    "Iran dissident confident Islamic Republic is 'taking last breath' as he bravely speaks to GB News",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nUS special forces rescue teams are engaged in a \"harrowing and dangerous\" search for a downed US airman somewhere in southern Iran.\n\nElite Air Force pararescue units scrambled for a rescue mission after a F-15E fighter jet was shot down by forces of the Islamic Republic.\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe warplane’s pilot was successfully extracted by US personnel on Friday, but the search for the weapon systems officer continues deep within hostile airspace.\n\nPararescue jumpers, among the most highly trained special operations forces in the American military, are conducting the recovery effort in Iran's Khuzestan province.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nOperations of this nature rank among the most intricate and time-pressured undertakings that US and allied forces prepare for.\n\nAt least 24 elite operators flying Black Hawk helicopters will likely be deployed to the region, according to a former commander of a pararescue jumpers squadron.\n\nThe former officer described the mission in grave terms, explaining that: \"Harrowing and massively dangerous is an understatement.\"\n\n\"This is what they train to do, all over the world. They are known as the Swiss Army knives of the Air Force.\"\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nUnlike conventional rescue efforts during humanitarian crises or natural disasters, combat search-and-rescue missions unfold in contested or actively hostile environments where enemy combatants are simultaneously hunting for the same personnel.\n\nIranian officials called on civilians to be on the lookout for survivors and have flooded social media with images that purport to show wreckage from the aircraft.\n\nFootage shared across social media showed Black Hawk helicopters flying low around the Iranian countryside.\n\nUS military sources confirmed that the pilot was rescued by two aircraft, which came under small arms fire during the daring operation, per CBS.\n\n### LATEST FROM IRAN:\n\n\n\n\n  * SECOND US warplane 'shot down in Persian Gulf' as Americans scramble to rescue missing pilot\n  * US pilot rescued after Iran shoots down fighter jet as urgent search for serviceman still underway\n  * Iran dissident confident Islamic Republic is 'taking last breath' as he bravely speaks to GB News\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nSome of the helicopter crew were wounded in the rescue, but all returned safely to base and were transported elsewhere for further medical care.\n\nThe current operation involves multiple aircraft working in coordination, with helicopters conducting the primary search whilst refuelling planes ensure they can remain airborne for extended periods.\n\nMajor General Thomas Kunkel, a former rescue helicopter pilot, told Time magazine that crews typically number between 10 and 20 personnel for such missions.\n\nThe HH-60W helicopter, purpose-built for these operations, is supported by HC-130J tanker aircraft, whilst electronic-jamming aircraft and heavily armoured A-10 ground-attack aircraft provide protective cover against Iranian forces.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe personnel tasked with these perilous recoveries undergo what is widely regarded as one of the most demanding selection processes in the US armed forces.\n\nPararescuemen complete approximately two years of intensive preparation encompassing parachute and diving qualifications, underwater demolition techniques, and comprehensive survival training alongside a full civilian paramedic certification.\n\nAdditional specialist instruction covers battlefield medical care, weapons proficiency and complex extraction procedures.\n\nThese operators serve under the motto: \"These Things We Do, That Others May Live.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nAmid the recovery mission, a second US Air Force combat plane was shot down over the Persian Gulf region.\n\nIran's air defence system targeted an \"enemy\" A-10 aircraft in southern waters near the Hormuz Strait, the nation's state media said on Friday.\n\nThe Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, more commonly known as a \"Warthog\", attack plane went down near the Strait of Hormuz, with officials confirming its sole pilot was quickly rescued.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "US special forces rescue team faces 'harrowing and dangerous' search for crew member downed over Iran"
}