National Security: Rescue

Joe Boyles Guest Columnist On Good Friday, an Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle was lost over southwestern Iran, and the aircrew was forced to eject from their crippled fighter. The pilot was rescued within a few hours, but the Weapon Systems Officer (WSO) was not fortunate and had to spend 36 hours evading capture. At this juncture, we’re not sure whether the aircraft was hit by enemy fire or had some sort of unflyable emergency. Regardless, the two-man crew had to jettison the aircraft to survi