SPECIAL REPORT: 1 crew member rescued after US fighter jet downed by Iran, officials say

[0:00] Hi, I'm Diane Macedo. We're coming back on the air with new details on a U.S. fighter jet shot [0:04] down by Iran. A U.S. official confirms to ABC News one of the crew members has been rescued. [0:10] Let's get right to Chief Global Affairs Anchor Martha Raddatz. Martha, what do we know so far? [0:13] We know that it was a two-seater jet, an F-15E Strike Eagle. So there is the one crew member [0:20] they have found and one crew member remains missing. Normally in this aircraft, there is a [0:25] pilot in the front seat and a weapons systems officer in the back seat. It has been more than [0:31] 12 hours since Iran released images that they said were of the F-15. This has not been independently [0:39] verified, but they appear to be credible images from what they say was the crash of that F-15. [0:48] The U.S. official has also confirmed that the jet was indeed shot down. This was hostile enemy fire. [0:56] Now, all of these pilots and crew members, the weapons systems officer, are trained in what is [1:00] called SEER, and that is survive, evade, resist, and escape. So wherever that other crew member is, [1:09] and certainly, hopefully, that crew member is alive and well, they will know what to do. They [1:15] will know to try and hide, to try and evade capture. Also, because it's been 12 hours, [1:22] the Iranians are taunting the U.S. about shooting. [1:25] They're trying to get down a jet, but there has been no confirmation in any way that they actually [1:31] captured that second crew member. So that is good news so far as well. But the good news here right [1:37] now is that at least one of those crew members has been rescued, according to a U.S. official, Diane. [1:44] That is good news indeed. And I want to bring in ABC News military analyst, former Marine Corps [1:48] fighter pilot Colonel Steve Ganyard for more. Colonel Ganyard, how does this search and rescue [1:53] mission change now that one crew member is rescued? [1:55] It makes it much more difficult, Diane. The F-15E, as Martha was alluding to, is a tandem seat, [2:03] so it's front and back. And so when there's an ejection, the weapons systems officer in the [2:08] back seat goes out first, and then the pilots for deconfliction so they don't hit each other as they [2:14] eject. So in this case, they shouldn't have been very far away. So that's what's concerning, is [2:19] that they were able to pick up one, but either couldn't find or get to the other pilot. We do see [2:24] that at least, well, it appears to be, [2:26] the location of where the aircraft went down looks to be very rugged terrain, [2:29] so that may have played into it. But now that the Iranians know we have one, [2:34] and there may be still another out there, they're going to be looking for them, [2:38] as will most of the military will be focused on rescuing that second aviator. [2:43] And let's go to ABC's Celina Wang at the White House. Celina, [2:47] just two days ago, the president said Iran had no air defense capabilities. So what does this [2:51] mean for the administration now that Iran has shown it can still shoot down a U.S. fighter jet? [2:56] Well, it certainly puts the president in a difficult position, Diane. We are still [3:00] waiting to hear directly from the president about this situation. What we do know from [3:04] the White House is that President Trump has been briefed, but no official on the record [3:09] statement from the president himself. And to your point, this comes as this administration [3:13] has been repeatedly touting that the U.S. has essentially decimated the entire Iranian regime, [3:20] as well as its military. The president, in his first primetime address to Americans since the [3:25] war began, said that the United States was the only country to be arrested for a full-time job biennial. [3:26] Iran has no anti-aircraft equipment, no navy, its air force is in ruins. This administration [3:33] making it clear that the U.S. essentially controls the skies over Iran. But what we [3:37] are seeing, Diane, is that despite the sustained U.S. assault heavy bombing, that Iran is still [3:43] able to maneuver and inflict real pain and damage here. And when it comes to the impact [3:49] on American service members, so far since this war began, 13 American service members [3:54] have been killed, and at least 340 U.S. service members have been wounded so far. All of [4:00] this against the backdrop of President Trump five weeks into this war still not laying [4:04] out a clear exit plan or off-ramp to how all of this is going to end. [4:10] And ABC's Britt Clennett is in Jerusalem. Britt, just a little while ago, as Martha [4:14] mentioned, Iran's parliament speaker was taunting the U.S. on social media. What does this incident [4:19] mean for diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and Iran? [4:24] Yeah, he took to social media saying that, [4:26] after defeating Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant no-strategy war they started has [4:31] now been downgraded from regime change to, can anyone find our pilots, please? Wow, what [4:36] incredible progress, absolute geniuses. You know, Iran knows this is not a popular war [4:41] at home and abroad, that even America's NATO allies are growing increasingly frustrated [4:47] with the mixed messages, the lack of clarity on war aims, and the apparent failure to wargame [4:53] the outcomes, such as preparing for the closure of the Hormuz. [4:56] I think it's important that we demonstrate one of the most important waterways in the [5:02] world through which one-fifth of the global oil supply flows through. And as you say, [5:07] they're still able to fire on a daily basis at multiple targets. So certainly it does [5:11] raise a lot of questions and frustrations, too. [5:14] And Martha, we heard Colonel Gagnon talk about how complicated this search and rescue [5:19] mission is. How does it now complicate the other aspects and objectives in this war? [5:24] Well, I think all efforts will be on finding this other aviator, and I think that's what's going to happen. [5:27] And that will take away from whatever else they're doing. This will clearly be a huge [5:32] priority right now to try to find that other either pilot or weapons systems officer. We [5:39] don't know which one was rescued and which one is still out there. I keep thinking about [5:44] the families waiting as well, because these missions are incredibly dangerous. These combat [5:49] search and rescue, they involve special operations, helicopters usually. And remember, just as [5:55] we've all been saying, Iran can still be a threat to the United States. And I think it's [5:57] important to be mindful that you're not alone and that the United States can still fire back. [5:59] And that is very obvious from what has happened in the last 12 hours. [6:03] All right, Martha, Britt, Steve, Selena, thank you. Again, we are hearing one of the crew members [6:08] from a U.S. fighter pilot shot down, excuse me, U.S. fighter jet shot down over Iran. One crew [6:12] member has been rescued. The other still not found. We are going to continue monitoring this. [6:17] And we will return to your regular programming now. Coverage continues on ABC News Live and [6:21] ABC News.com. And we'll have a full wrap up on World News tonight. I'm Diane Macedo. Have a great [6:26] rest of the day.