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Former RAF pilot describes operation as strategic showdown as US and Iran simultaneously search for missing pilot
“It’s a cat and mouse game.” That’s how former British Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot John Peters described the situation in an interview with Sky News, commenting on the operation to find the American pilot who is missing after the downing of an F-15 fighter jet in Iran.
Peters, who himself was shot down over Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War, compared his experience to current developments, noting that search and rescue operations in hostile areas are complex and high-pressure. According to him, US forces will try to locate the pilot and organize his extraction as soon as possible, while Iranian authorities will aim to capture him for political and strategic gain.
According to information reported by Axios and CBS News, the US has sent elite units to search for the pilot in the mountainous province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, a difficult area for ground operations. One of the two crew members has already been rescued, while the search for the other continues.
Meanwhile, Iranian state media reported that authorities had offered a $60,000 reward for anyone who helped capture the pilot and hand him over alive to Iranian forces. In a public statement, local citizens were urged to cooperate with the military and police.
The downing of the F-15E is considered the first major loss of a US aircraft since the start of the conflict in the Middle East on February 28. According to US officials, Iran also shot down another A-10 aircraft in Kuwait, but its pilot managed to escape using an ejection seat.
Footage released by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (Pasdaran) on the X network shows parts of the crashed plane, including the ejection seat. According to them, the fact that this part was found intact suggests that the pilot may have survived.
US President Donald Trump told The Independent and earlier NBC News that he could not yet determine the US response if the pilot fell into Iranian hands. He added that the incident would not affect negotiations to end the conflict.
In his assessment to Sky News, Peters stressed that US forces have advanced capabilities in such operations and will use significant resources to achieve the rescue. He added that the pilot's survival also depends on his ability to implement training in extreme conditions.
Developments on the ground show a dual race: the US to rescue their pilot and Iran to capture him, in a situation that is taking on not only military but also political dimensions.
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