TL;DR
Two HH-60G Pave Hawks conducting search and rescue for a downed F-15E crew in western Iran were struck by small arms fire; at least one crew member was wounded, and one airman remains missing.
MSM Perspective
CBS, NBC, and the War Zone all confirmed the rescue helicopters were hit by Iranian fire; PBS reported it as the first time American aircraft were shot down in the five-week war.
X Perspective
OSINT accounts are tracking the SAR operation in real time using satellite imagery and flight data, calling it the most dangerous combat rescue mission since the Iraq War.
Two U.S. Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters conducting a combat search and rescue mission over western Iran were struck by small arms fire on Friday, wounding at least one crew member [1]. The helicopters were searching for the crew of an F-15E Strike Eagle shot down earlier in the day -- the first American manned combat aircraft lost in five weeks of war with Iran [2].
The pilot of the F-15E was recovered. The weapons systems officer remains missing. Iranian police and local personnel fired on the low-flying rescue aircraft with small arms as they operated deep inside Iranian territory [3]. Both helicopters landed safely despite the damage. NBC reported all crew were safe; subsequent reports from multiple OSINT accounts indicated at least one crew member sustained wounds [4].
The War Zone described the operation as the most significant combat search and rescue mission since the Iraq War, noting the deployment of HH-60G Pave Hawks, HC-130J Combat King II tankers, and fighter escorts operating simultaneously over hostile territory [5]. PBS reported the F-15E shootdown and the rescue helicopter incidents as the first time American combat aircraft were downed in the conflict [6].
The SAR operation continues. One American airman is unaccounted for inside Iran. The rescue force is still flying.
-- YOSEF STERN, Jerusalem
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