US ex-pilot details how to survive being shot down
As American forces race against time and the Iranian military races to find the crew of a missing fighter jet reported shot down on Friday, a retired Air Force general told AFP what it would take to hide and survive if parachuted into enemy territory.
“You say, ‘Oh my God, two minutes ago I was in a fighter jet flying at 500 miles per hour and a missile exploded literally 15 feet from your head,'” said Houston Cantwell, a retired brigadier general who is now at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
However, training known as search, evasion, resistance and escape (SERE) will likely come into play before parachuting to the ground.
“The best intelligence you get is when you float down to the ground,” Cantwell said in a phone interview. “The best view of where you might want to go or where you might want to avoid is when you come down with your parachute.”
“Look around you, because you can’t see very far when you land.”
Cantwell logged 400 hours of combat flying experience, including missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and trained extensively for hard parachute drops.
The former airman said hitting the ground, even with a parachute, can cause foot, ankle and leg injuries.
“There are many stories of survivors from Vietnam who suffered serious injuries (compound fractures) from the launch,” he said.
When you land, “take inventory of yourself to see what state I’m in? Can I move? Can I even move?”
The flight crew then begins an assessment, determining where they are, whether they are behind enemy lines, where they might be hiding, and how they might communicate.
“Try to avoid enemy capture whenever possible,” Cantwell said. “And if I were in a desert environment, I’d want to try to find some water.”
Simultaneously, Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) teams consisting of highly trained soldiers and pilots who are already alert will also be activated.
“It gives you tremendous peace of mind knowing that you know they’re going to do whatever they can to come and get you,” Cantwell said. “But they also won’t be on a suicide mission.”
This is where missing crew members can potentially increase the likelihood of a safe rescue.
On the field, he said, “My priority will be to hide because I don’t want to get caught.” “I want to try to get to a place where I can be taken out.”
In a city this might be a roof. An area where helicopters can land in a rural environment. He said the action was their best night.
American pilots have a small kit to help them in their ejection chairs or flight suits.
“This will be some basic food items, water (and) some survival equipment,” he said. “It will have some communications equipment, radio and all that kind of stuff so it can be picked up as quickly as possible.”
Cantwell said he also carried a gun while flying the F-16 jet.
On Friday, an F-15E Strike Eagle crashed in southwestern Iran and its pilot was rescued by US special forces, according to media reports. The fate of the weapon operator sitting behind the pilot during the flight is unknown.
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