The American A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft that was shot down by Iran on Friday was part of rescue operations for the two crew members from a downed F-15E Strike Eagle fighter, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said during a press conference Monday.
The pilot of the A-10, a single-seater aircraft, safely ejected and was rescued outside of Iran after flying the plane away from Iranian territory, CNN previously reported.
The A-10 was one of the aircraft primarily responsible for communicating with the downed pilot of the F-15, who was rescued first on Friday. The second crew member from the fighter, a weapons systems officer, was rescued as part of separate operations Sunday.
The A-10 was hit by enemy fire during the mission while laying down suppressive fire to keep Iranian forces away from the pilot as the American rescue force closed in, Caine said.
“During this engagement, one of the Sandy aircraft, the one primarily responsible for communicating with the downed pilot, was hit by enemy fire,” Caine said. “This pilot continued to fight, continued the mission, and then upon exit, flew his aircraft into another country and determined that the airplane was not landable. … The pilot then made the decision to eject over friendly territory, and was quickly and safely recovered and is doing fine.”
The “Sandy” aircraft, Caine said, have only one job: “Get to the survivor, bring the rescue force forward, and put themselves between that survivor on the ground and the enemy.”
“The A-10 force and the rescue force did a fantastic job rescuing Dude44A,” Caine said, referencing the call sign of the downed pilot.