James Rothwell and Akhtar Makoii
Berlin/London: When Iceal Hambleton, a US air force navigator, was shot down over Vietnam more than half a century ago, any hopes of a swift rescue were quickly dashed.
The air force encountered some of the most ferocious anti-aircraft fire in the entire war during a string of failed rescue operations, costing the lives of 11 airmen and the loss of five aircraft.
It was not until 11 days later that Lieutenant Colonel Hambleton was rescued before he could fall into the clutches of the Northern Vietnamese, having evaded capture by hiding in a hole he dug in the jungle.
As tribesmen scour southern Iran for a second airman from the US F-15 fighter jet that was shot down on Friday, the unnamed crew member may be wondering whether he is at the beginning of a similar ordeal.
Stranded in the arid landscape of Khuzestan province, the weapons system officer may be locked in a battle of wits against the Iranian regime as it desperately tries to capture him before American rescue teams find him.
Experts say Tehran is in a race against the US air force’s revered combat search and rescue (CSAR) division, which represents his best chance of survival.
The CSAR division will be attempting to fly out to the airman’s hiding place, bundle or winch him into a helicopter, and then escape Iran without themselves being shot down.
But it will not be easy – and if the operation does not go to plan, as was the case with Hambleton in Vietnam, a larger-scale ground incursion may be the only hope left.
“The United States Air Force maintains specialist units, aircraft and helicopter types and very highly trained crews for this type of operation, [but] it is very, very dangerous and high risk,” said Justin Bronk, a military expert at the Royal United Services Institute, a British security think tank.
“They have to respond immediately when an air crew is downed, so they can’t necessarily pick the optimum window, by going in at night if the shoot-down happens by day. And of course, they’re having to look at … a lot of risk from ground fire and things like manned portable air defence systems.”
Dmytro Zhmailo, an expert at Ukraine’s Security and Co-operation Centre, said a crucial element to improve a downed airman’s chance of survival was evasion training, which extended the time window rescuers had to collect a crew member.
“[Our Ukrainian Air Force] pilots are required to complete a survival course and before take-off be briefed on the enemy’s location and the position of friendly forces. In the event of problems or the loss of the aircraft, the crew’s task is to move to a safe distance and transmit a special signal via satellite,” he said.
Elite forces have already managed to retrieve the F-15’s pilot in a similar operation on Friday. It is not known why it is taking longer to rescue the jet’s second airman, and as time passes the prospect of reaching him before the Iranians grows slimmer and slimmer.
On Saturday morning (Washington time), it was reported that US special forces were operating inside Iran, in a sign that Washington had escalated its bid to find the airman. But also as of Saturday, bands of armed Iranian nomads had taken up the search for the airman themselves, hoping to win a £50,000 ($95,000) reward from the regime.
Two Black Hawk helicopters supported by a military refuelling aircraft fled the area during one rescue attempt, after encountering resistance from Bakhtiari tribesmen and rural populations who opened fire with hunting rifles, according to Fettah Mohammadi, deputy governor of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province.
Video clips circulating on Iranian social media have shown civilians in traditional dress firing at low-flying aircraft in mountain valleys. In one clip, a young girl could be heard urging her father: “Hit it, Dad, hit it,” as he aimed a rifle skywards.
The mobilisation draws on Iran’s south-western tribal populations, particularly the Bakhtiari people who live in regions spanning Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Khuzestan and parts of Isfahan province.
And then there is the landscape that this stranded airman must navigate on his own – the Zagros mountain range, a 1600km natural fortress with peaks above 4300 metres, narrow valleys that can become choke points and countless caves. It also has plenty of hidden routes known intimately by local populations, which also gives the nomads an advantage.
Experts say a rescue mission of this nature is likely to require 24 “pararescue” operatives and two Black Hawk helicopters, assisted by in-air refuelling aircraft to extend their reach over Iran.
US pararescue operatives receive training in combat medical care, evacuation, air-dive physiology, and additional skills to survive in chemical or nuclear environments.
On finding a casualty, they may need to provide him with medical treatment in place to ensure he survives the journey to safety.
“Harrowing and massively dangerous is an understatement,” one former pararescue commander told CBS News.
But there is some hope, if the US wishes to follow the example of the operation that saved Hambleton in 1972.
After all those failed air rescue missions, the US switched tactics and launched a ground operation that relied on navy SEALs and Southern Vietnamese commandos.
In one of the most daring rescue operations in US military history, the elite forces managed to track down Hambleton and extract him while disguised as Vietnamese fishermen.
For his sake, one can only hope that the CSAR special forces team reportedly dispatched to Khuzestan has hatched a plan that will rival that ingenuity.
The Telegraph, London
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