How elite US military teams conduct rescue operations: ‘It’s harrowing and incredibly dangerous’

US Air Force rescue units train intensively to rescue crews from downed aircraft behind enemy lines. Getty Images via BBC The two crew members of the American F-15 fighter jet shot down on Friday (3/4) in Iran were rescued, according to United States President Donald Trump. ✅ Follow g1’s international news channel on WhatsApp This is the latest episode in a long history of combat search and rescue missions carried out by Americans over the decades. One of the pilots was saved on Friday, and the other was rescued this Sunday (5) after two days of searching. Trump confirmed rescue of both. Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) missions are among the most complex and urgent operations for which the armed forces of the US and its allies prepare. See the videos that are trending on g1 In the USA, elite Air Force units are specially trained for missions of this type and are often mobilized preventively on the outskirts of conflict zones where aircraft can be shot down. In this article, you will read: What is Combat Search and Rescue? The History of Rescue Missions US Air Force Air Rescue Teams Recent US Rescue Missions What is Combat Search and Rescue? In short, CSAR missions are military operations designed to locate, assist, and, if necessary, rescue personnel in distress, including downed pilots and isolated troops. Unlike conventional search and rescue operations — which can be carried out during humanitarian missions or after disasters — CSAR missions take place in hostile environments or conflict zones. In some cases — such as Friday’s reported rescue operation in Iran — operations may take place in enemy territory. CSAR missions are typically conducted using helicopters, with refueling aircraft providing support and other military aircraft available to carry out strikes and patrol the area. A former commander of a rescue paratrooper squad told CBS that a rescue operation like the one reported in Iran would involve at least 24 rescue paratroopers scouring the area in Black Hawk helicopters. He added that the team would be prepared to jump out of planes if necessary, and that once on the ground their priority would be to contact the missing crew member. Once located, rescue paratroopers would provide medical assistance if necessary, evade the enemy and take the missing crewman to a location where he could be rescued, according to CBS. “To say it is distressing and incredibly dangerous is an understatement,” the former commander told BBC partner broadcaster. “That’s what they train for, all over the world. They’re known as the Swiss Army Knives of the Air Force,” he added. A verified video published on Friday appears to show US military helicopters and at least one refueling aircraft operating over the Iranian province of Khuzestan. The missions are extremely urgent as it is likely that enemy forces will be deployed to the same area to try to locate the American personnel that the Combat Search and Rescue teams are trying to rescue. Jonathan Hackett, who served as a special operations specialist for the US Marine Corps, told the BBC’s World Tonight program that a rescue team’s priority is to look for signs of life. “They try to retrace their path from the person’s last known location and spread out based on how quickly they can move under different circumstances in this very difficult terrain,” Hackett explained. Hackett noted that this type of rescue would be a “non-standard assisted recovery mission” in which local groups in the area could be contacted in advance to create contingency plans that could be activated to assist in any rescue. Click here to return to the beginning. The history of rescue missions Wartime air rescue missions have a long history, dating back to the First World War, when pilots made impromptu landings in France to rescue downed colleagues. The U.S. Army’s parachute rescue units have their origins in a 1943 mission in which two combat surgeons parachuted into what was then Burma (now Myanmar) to assist injured soldiers. The world’s first helicopter rescue occurred a year later, when an American lieutenant rescued four soldiers stranded behind Japanese lines, according to Air & Space magazine. The incident also marked the first operational use of a helicopter in combat. The first formal search and rescue units were established in the United States immediately after the conflict. But modern CSAR began during the Vietnam War. One mission, known as Bat 21, resulted in the loss of several aircraft and numerous American casualties while attempting to rescue the pilot of a plane shot down behind North Vietnamese lines. The war required a significant expansion of CSAR missions, with increasing scope and complexity. The experience helped the military refine tactics and procedures that have since served as the basis for rescue operations. Click here to return to the beginning. The thousands of rescue missions carried out in Southeast Asia have helped shape modern combat search and rescue operations. Getty Images via BBC The U.S. Air Force’s air rescue teams While each branch of the U.S. military has its own limited combat search and rescue capabilities, the U.S. Air Force is primarily responsible for locating and rescuing military personnel. This work is primarily performed by so-called “rescue paratroopers,” who are part of the Armed Forces’ special operations community. The official motto of the Parachute Rescue Corps is “We Do It So Others May Live,” and its work is considered part of a broader promise to members of the U.S. Armed Forces that they will not be abandoned. These professionals are highly trained as combatants and paramedics, and undergo one of the most rigorous selection and training processes in the US Armed Forces. The selection and training process — which lasts approximately two years from start to finish — includes parachuting and diving, as well as basic training in underwater demolition, survival, resistance and escape, and a full civil paramedic course. They also receive specialized training in combat medicine, complex rescue operations and weaponry. In the field, these teams are led by officers specialized in combat rescue, responsible for planning, coordinating and executing these missions. Click here to return to the beginning. Recent U.S. Rescue Missions Rescue paratrooper teams were widely deployed during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, flying thousands of missions to rescue wounded American and allied soldiers or those who needed to be evacuated. In 2005, Air Force rescue paratrooper teams participated in the rescue of an injured U.S. Navy SEAL who was seeking refuge in an Afghan village after his team was ambushed and the other three members were killed — an incident later depicted in the film The Greatest Hero (2013). Rescue missions for downed American pilots have been infrequent in recent decades. In 1999, the pilot of an F-117 stealth fighter shot down over Serbia was located and rescued by members of the parachutist rescue team. In a widely publicized incident in Bosnia in 1995, American pilot Scott O’Grady was rescued in a joint Air Force and Marine Corps combat search and rescue mission after being shot down and avoiding capture for six days. Click here to return to the beginning.

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