US Air Force officer recounts surviving 50 hours in Iran after F-15E crash

A US Air Force colonel, identified only by the mission call sign 'Dude 44 Bravo', has publicly detailed his survival experience after his F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran on April 3. The officer, who served as the weapons systems officer in the rear seat, spent nearly 50 hours hidden in the mountains south of Isfahan while sustaining serious injuries to his back, arm, and shoulder.

Despite having minimal food and water, the colonel evaded capture while Iranian forces searched within a few hundred meters of his hiding spot. The incident, which was confirmed by US military leadership at the time, occurred during a mission near sensitive Iranian facilities. Five months after the successful rescue operation, the officer shared his story for the first time in an interview with CBS's '60 Minutes'. His identity remains classified for security reasons, and the pilot of the aircraft was identified by the call sign 'Alpha'.