Two US officials said the downed aircraft was an F-15E fighter jet, which has two seats: one for a pilot and the second for a weapons systems officer.
It is unclear which of the two was recovered and the US official who confirmed the recovery did not offer any details on how it took place.
US air crews undergo training for what to do if they go down behind enemy lines, called Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape training, or SERE – but few airmen are fluent in Persian and staying undetected while seeking rescue will be a challenge.
William Goodhind, a forensic imagery analyst with Contested Ground, said images claiming to show the plane’s tail fin posted on social media are consistent with that of an F-15E Strike Eagle, which carries two crew.
Reuters
