A race to find the missing American crew member
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it was searching the area near where the pilot’s plane came down. Meanwhile, Iranian officials issued a public plea Friday for locals to go out and find the F-15 crew member, offering a reward that would equal $60,000.
Rescue operations continued into Saturday to find the missing crew member of the F-15.
“It is a very complex effort,” Brigadier General Houston Cantwell told TIME on Apr. 3 when asked about the process of rescuing a crew in enemy territory. “The most important piece of information is what is the location of the air crew. And that piece of information is so hard to get.”
Air Force members undergo mandatory training to prepare for scenarios in which they must eject into enemy territory, known as SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape). Once the crew member is located, they will likely receive a “rescue package,” experts told TIME, including equipment and personnel that could help them escape.