In a remarkable tale of resilience and fortitude, a US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle pilot was shot down twice in under a month during the Iran conflict, yet managed to survive both harrowing experiences, as revealed in a recent report.
Although the pilot’s identity remains undisclosed, the month-long ordeal he endured stands as one of the toughest faced by an Air Force aviator since the Vietnam War. Military officials, both past and present, shared insights with High Side Substack about the series of unfortunate events that began with a friendly-fire mishap in Kuwait on March 2.
During this incident, Kuwait’s defense forces mistakenly targeted three F-15E Strike Eagle jets, necessitating all six crew members to eject safely in allied territory. Despite the setback, the pilots displayed remarkable resilience, returning to the skies just four weeks later for a bombing mission in Tehran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the time praised their courage and commitment.
Yet, fate intervened once more for one of these pilots shortly after the Tehran operation. An F-15E fighter jet was hit over Iran, forcing two aviators to eject into hostile territory.
On April 3, the pilot was successfully rescued. However, the weapons officer faced a more perilous situation, having sustained injuries and needing to go into hiding after Iranian authorities placed a bounty on him.
The pilot was quickly rescued on April 3, but the weapons officer had been injured and forced into hiding after Iran placed a bounty on his head.
The Air Force colonel was rescued the following day after the military tracked him to a location in the Zagros Mountain, where he had been taking refuge.
Military officials suggested that the pilot, having been hit twice within five weeks, was “almost certainly” the first fixed-wing Air Force aviator to be shot down twice in the same conflict since the Vietnam War, according to High Side.
US Central Command declined to The Post’s request for comment.
