Shot down over Iran, hunted for 50 hrs: How US fighter survived behind enemy lines

NEW: A US Air Force officer survived nearly 50 hours behind enemy lines in Iran after his jet was shot down, with over 90 American service members deployed in one of the most complex rescue operations to bring him out.

An American pilot spent fifty hours on the ground inside Iran, and he made it out.

His fighter jet was shot down over Iranian territory, and this photo gives you a sense of what came next. One officer, alone, behind enemy lines, evading capture for the better part of two days while an entire machine spun up to reach him.

More than ninety American service members were deployed for the rescue, one of the most complex operations of its kind. Think about what that takes. Locating one man in hostile country, keeping him hidden, then getting a recovery force in and out without turning a rescue into a second crisis.

The Pentagon has not said much beyond the outline, and honestly, the details of how they pulled this off may stay classified for years. What we know tonight is the part that matters. Fifty hours in Iran, and he came home.

This is Liu Yang, reporting for HIT.