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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nMilitary aviation experts have outlined what it takes for a fighter pilot whose jet is shot down behind enemy lines to hide, survive, and be rescued by extraction troops, as US crews conduct search-and-rescue operations after Iran reportedly downed a US Air Force F\u201115E Strike Eagle on Friday.According to reports, one crew member\u2014likely the pilot\u2014has been rescued, and the search continues for the second crew member. <\/p>\n Watch<\/span><\/p>\n On Cam: Iran Shoots Down Israeli F-16 Fighter Aircraft After Hitting 4 American Jets, Choppers?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Also Read | <\/span>US jet shot down in Iran: Israel says one pilot rescued, search on for second one<\/a>\u201cYou\u2019re like, \u2018Oh my God, I was in a fighter jet two minutes ago, flying 500 miles an hour, and a missile just exploded literally 15 feet from your head,\u2019\u201d recalled Houston Cantwell, a retired US Air Force brigadier general, to AFP.Cantwell explained that a pilot\u2019s training\u2014known as survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE)\u2014would likely kick in before parachuting to the ground. \u201cYour best view of where you may want to go or where you may want to avoid is while you’re coming down in your parachute,\u201d he added.Also Read | <\/span>Iran announces $60,000 bounty for American pilots after shooting down fighter jet<\/a>He warned that parachuting carries risks of foot, ankle, and leg injuries. \u201cThere are many stories of survivors from Vietnam who had severe injuries\u2014compound fractures\u2014just from the ejection,\u201d the former airman noted.Once on the ground, pilots must quickly assess their condition. \u201cTake an inventory of yourself to figure out, what condition am I in? Can I even move? Am I even mobile?\u201d Cantwell observed.They then determine their location, whether they are behind enemy lines, and how best to hide or communicate. \u201cTry to avoid enemy capture as long as you can. And if I were in a desert environment, I’d want to try to find some water,\u201d he added.Also Read | <\/span>‘Can anyone find our pilots? Please?’: Iran ridicules US following American jet loss<\/a>Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) teams play a critical role. \u201cIt gives you tremendous peace of mind\u2026 they’re going to do everything they can to come get you. At the same time, they’re not going to come on a suicide mission,\u201d Cantwell noted.For the missing crewmember, concealment is the top priority. \u201cI want to try to get to a location where I can get extracted.\u201d Movement is usually safest at night, using rooftops in cities or fields in rural areas suitable for helicopter pickup.Cantwell also mentioned that pilots often carry personal weapons, like a pistol, to increase their chances of survival.‘Extraction troops are always on standby’<\/span>Meanwhile, Scott Fales, a retired master sergeant and former CSAR member, noted that extraction troops are always on standby whenever US aircraft operate over enemy territory.Also Read | <\/span>‘One by one’: Iran downs another US jet after F-15E, crashes into Hormuz; watch<\/a>Fales, who served as a pararescue jumper, played a key role in the 1993 \u201cBlack Hawk Down\u201d incident in Mogadishu, Somalia.\u201cBefore any operations are conducted\u2026 there is always a CSAR plan,\u201d he told AFP.At the same time, intelligence teams gather and analyse every detail about the missing aviator. \u201cEverything from human intelligence to imagery intelligence to all the different drones we have looking\u2014signals intelligence,\u201d Fales explained. \u201cIt\u2019s all being used to try to find this guy.\u201dOnce the aviator is located, a rescue plan is developed in real time inside the helicopters. \u201cThose gunners are spotting and looking for threats; the pilots are looking for a place to land, we\u2019re reaching out to that downed aviator,\u201d he said.On the ground, crews confirm the pilot\u2019s identity and weigh threats against medical needs. Fales described the process: \u201cWhat kind of immediate threat are we in? How much time do we have to get this person out? What kind of injuries do they have? And then we’ll make up our mind on the type, amount of treatment that’s needed on the scene\u2014or do we just grab and go depending on the threat?\u201d<\/p>\n Poll<\/p>\n Should the US government continue to prepare CSAR plans for future military operations?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n With a fellow soldier still unaccounted for in southwest Iran, Fales remains cautiously optimistic. \u201cI\u2019m hoping that friendly people have found him and are hiding him, or he\u2019s still evading,\u201d he stated.During the ongoing United States\u2011Israel military campaign against Iran, dubbed Operation Epic Fury by the Trump administration, the US has suffered multiple aerial losses. In early March, three F\u201115E jets were downed in a friendly fire incident over Kuwait, though all six crew members were safely recovered. Days later, a KC\u2011135 Stratotanker crashed in western Iraq, killing all six crew.<\/div>\n\n