7 Locations, 176 Aircraft, 45 Hours: US' "Air Armada" Rescue Ops In Iran

The US military employed hundreds of elite troops and an 'air armada' of 176 aircraft over the weekend to rescue the two crew members of an Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle that was downed deep inside Iran. The high-stakes mission lasted nearly two days and expanded across seven locations, according to the Donald Trump administration. 

Addressing reporters at the White House alongside US President Donald Trump and Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force General Dan Caine, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, said the mission was "unblinking".

"For 45 hours and 56 minutes, we held that call open for coordination," Hegseth said, describing the call that was held in a secure facility. "Our mission was unblinking."

Talking about the massive "air armada", General Caine said the fleet helped pull off a pair of "incredibly dangerous" extractions, bringing home the pilot and weapon systems officer (WSO).

Inside US Fleet

According to the Axios report, the American rescue fleet included bombers, fighters, refuelling tankers, helicopters, and unmanned systems. Among the few named by Caine were the A-10 Warthog, the H-60 Jolly Green II and the HC-130 Combat King II. He also hinted that "remotely piloted" and "tactical" drones were used in the mission. 

"The courage demonstrated by both the pilot and the weapon-system officer, while isolated and evading the enemy, cannot be overstated," Caine said.

The Airman's Rescue

President Donald Trump explained that the rescue of the airman was specifically challenging and demanded 155 aircraft. "A lot of it," he said, was meant to confuse and misdirect Iranian forces that were on the hunt.

The mission spanned seven locations, with only one being legitimate. "They said, 'Well, wait a minute. They've got groups here. They've got groups there'...America's military descended on the real area, engaged the enemy, rescued the stranded officer, destroyed all threats and exited Iranian territory," Trump said. 

The First Manned Plane Down

The F-15E Strike Eagle was the first manned American aircraft downed by Iran since the start of the war on February 28, according to Trump, who claimed it was "a lucky hit" by the "enemy".

"Eventually, you get lucky. But we get lucky, too," Trump said.

The American forces have previously accepted that they lost at least three Strike Eagles in a friendly fire incident involving a Kuwaiti F/A-18 Hornet. US forces also lost more than a dozen MQ-9 Reapers, an E-3 Sentry in an Iranian attack on a base in Saudi Arabia and a KC-135 Stratotanker in a crash over Iraq.