What we know so far about saving American military in Iran

US President Donald Trump confirmed the rescue Sunday morning on social networks, after the US Army “realised one of the most bold search-saving operations in its history”. He added that the officer is now “safely and in good condition”.

Two crew members were on board the plane, and both were parachuted out of the plane. One of them was previously rescued by American forces.

Iranian officials said the fighter plane was crashed by Iran's air defence system.

Details about the rescue operation and how it developed are still coming to light. Here's what's known so far.

How was the officer saved?

The United States and Iran were in a race to find missing crew member after the plane crashed over the south of Iran.

The precise circumstances of the American rescue operation remain unclear, but a person familiar with the operation described it as a major “ ” search-war rescue mission south of Iran.

BBC He realizes that during the operation there was a crash between American forces and Iranian forces, and the pilot may have been injured during the initial parachute jump from the plane, the Periscope broadcasts.

Saving crew members of a plane crash is one of the most complex and urgent operations known as the hunt for combat escape for which the American Army and its allies are preparing.

Air Force units dealing with these missions include some of the military's most trained and specialized soldiers.

These missions are often carried out by helicopters flying at a low altitude over enemy territory, along with other military planes performing attacks and patrols in the area.

In his post on social networks, Trump said that a colonel was standing behind the enemy's lines in the dangerous mountains of Iran, followed by our enemies approaching him more and more every hour”.

Officials told the American BBC partner, CBS News, that crew member spent more than 24 hours alone hiding in the mountains with a gun.

The president added that his whereabouts were monitored “24 hours a day by” by senior American officials planning rescue operation.

A senior official also told CBS that the CIA played a crucial role in the mission by tracking the aviator into a rock hole in the mountain and broadcasting the exact location to the Pentagon.

The agency also conducted a fraud campaign within Iran, according to reports. As rescue efforts were under way, the agency spread the news that the aircraft had already been found and was being extracted from Iran.

Trump said the US Army sent dozens of planes to Iran and claimed the operation was conducted without any Americans killed or injured.

Iranian state media reported that the troops of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) dropped an American threat while he was searching for missing aircraft.

The American Droni crashed in Iran's southern province of Isfahan, according to the IRC Public Relations Office, which was quoted by the semi-official Fars news agency.

Earlier, Iran had said it wanted to find the missing American alive and had offered a reward to citizens who would help find him.

The crew of a plane crash is highly trained for such situations.

“Their number one priority is to stay alive and avoid capture,” said Jennifer Kavanagh, director of military analysis in the research organisation Defence Priories, for the BBC.

They're trained if they're physically able and not so injured they can't move as fast as they can get out of the parachute and hide in order to be safe. ”

They also train themselves in survival techniques to cope with food and water shortages or to find resources on the surrounding terrain as long as possible, Kavanagh said.

Where and when did the plane crash?

Iranian state media claimed for the first time Friday that the country's forces had crashed an American plane over Iran's southern region.

The exact location where F-15 fell remains unclear, but in Iranian state media two potential provinces were mentioned: Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, and Khuzstan.

Two crew members were on board of the plane crash. The plane pilot was saved in an earlier operation. That operation reportedly included an A-10 Warthog plane that was hit over the Persian Gulf, with the pilot parachuted before being rescued.

A helicopter carrying a rescue pilot from the F-15E plane was hit by gunshots, wounding some of the crew members on board but managed to land safely, American media reported.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard said nomad tribes living in the country's mountains shot at two Black Hawk helicopters that were part of the American rescue mission.

BBC Verifu confirmed a video from Friday showing three armed men shooting at at least two Black Hawk helicopters.

Iran's joint military command has attributed the collapse of two US aircraft to new Iranian air defence systems, according to the Iranian state news agency IRNA.

The Kohgiluyeh region and Boyer-Ahmad is a mountainous province southwest of the country, with more than 700,000 people, including nomad communities.

Nomads in this area are known to carry rifles to protect their livestock and camps from wild animals and thefts in remote mountainous areas.

Provenca Khuzstan is an important centre for the oil industry and other industrial sectors. It has more than 4.7 million people and a diverse population, including Arabs, Persians, lors, and other ethnic groups.

What is known about the purpose of the plane?

F-15E was designed for missions both air and ground and air-air. In Iran, these planes were probably involved in protective roles to bring down Iranian fears and floating missiles.

In his role of attack on land targets, the aircraft is able to launch precise laser and GPS-run ammunition, as well as other types of bombs.

The aircraft has two crew members: the pilot and a gun systems officer in the back seat.

The gun officer, known as “Wizzo”, is responsible for selecting targets and making sure the weapons are programmed for the right attack.

This two-member system allows the workload to be shared, especially in a busy environment where the pilot tries to avoid threats.

We don't know exactly what crashed this American plane, but if it fell off Iranians, the most likely reason is a land-air rocket.