What could a pilot who made an emergency landing in an enemy country in the middle of a war face? As news of Iran attacking two US fighter jets hit the headlines, retired US Brigadier General Houston Cantwell spoke about the survival strategies adopted when a pilot crash lands alive in an enemy country.
What do we know about the American fighters shot down in Iran?
In a rare attack against the US, Iran reportedly shot down two US military aircraft on Friday – an F15-E Strike Eagle and an A-10 attack aircraft.
After the attack, the two countries raced each other on Saturday to retrieve the crew of the first US fighter jet to descend on Iran since the war began, AFP reported.
Read also | Iran fires missiles at Israel, Gulf countries; Tel Aviv activates air defenses
According to US media, US special forces have rescued one of the two crew members of the F-15 warplane, while the other is still missing.
Iran’s military also said it shot down a US A-10 ground attack aircraft in the Persian Gulf, with US media reporting the pilot was rescued, AFP reported.
This was a rare event in US history. The last time a U.S. fighter jet was shot down in combat was more than 20 years ago, when an A-10 Thunderbolt II was shot down during the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, a retired Air Force brigadier said. General Houston Cantwell, former F-16 fighter pilot.
A pilot’s survival guide
Brig. General Houston Cantwell, a former Air Force pilot and paramedic, told AFP what it means to hide, survive and get someone behind enemy lines. Cantwell logged 400 hours of combat flight time, including missions over Iraq and Afghanistan.
“You’re like, ‘Oh my God, two minutes ago I was in a fighter jet, going 500 miles an hour, and a missile just exploded, literally 15 feet from your head,'” Cantwell, who is now at the Mitchell Institute for Aeronautical Studies, told AFP.
He said the pilot’s training – known as survival, escape, resistance and evasion (SERE) – is likely to begin before it hits the ground.
“The best view of where you might want to go or where you might want to avoid is when you’re descending with a parachute,” Cantwell said.
The former aviator explained that there is a risk of injury to the feet, ankles and legs when parachuting to the ground.
“There are many stories of Vietnam survivors who suffered severe injuries – complex fractures – just from being ejected,” he said.
After landing, “take stock of yourself to see what state I’m in? Can I move at all? Am I mobile at all?”
Airmen then find out where they are, whether it is behind enemy lines, where they can hide and how they can communicate.
How to increase the chances of a safe rescue
“Try to avoid enemy capture as long as possible,” Cantwell said. “And if I were in a desert environment, I’d want to try to find some water.
At the same time, Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) teams – highly trained soldiers and pilots already on standby – would be activated.
“It gives you a huge peace of mind knowing they’re going to do everything they can to come get you,” Cantwell said. “At the same time, they are not going to come on a suicide mission,” he added.
It is there that a missing crew member can increase the chances of a safe rescue.
“My first priority would be to hide because I don’t want to be captured,” he said. “I want to try to get to a place where I can get extracted.
In the city it can be a roof. In a rural setting, in a field where helicopters can land. Movement is best at night, he said.
Cantwell said he also had a gun with him when he flew.
Rescue plan
Brig. General Houston Cantwell told AFP that there is always a CSAR plan before any operation is carried out and once a lost pilot is located, a rescue plan is formulated in real time inside the helicopters.
“Those gunners are noticing and looking for threats, the pilots are looking for a place to land, we’re reaching out to that downed pilot,” he said.
On the ground, they will ensure that the pilot is indeed the person they are looking for, and a threat versus medical needs assessment will be conducted.
In their minds, retired Sergeant Scott Fales said, “What kind of immediate threat are we in? How much time do we have to get this person out? What kind of injuries does he have? And then we decide what kind and amount of treatment is needed at the scene — or do we just grab and go with the threat?”
With the soldier still missing in southwestern Iran, Fales said he is “very hopeful” the airman can be found.
“I hope friendly people have found him and are hiding him,” he said. “Or it’s still leaking.
