US Air Force personnel are flying over Iran in a mission to rescue critically endangered soldiers

A US Air Force team had seconds to react after an F-15E Strike Eagle was hit by enemy fire over Iran on Friday. Both airmen were ejected.

The escape from the plane – which began in an instant – began a high-risk rescue operation in a hostile environment, as US troops rushed to retrieve the crew before Iranian forces could reach them.

In those few seconds, the ejection seat transforms from a terminal safety system to an explosive escape system – getting the crew out of the plane and into the open air before the parachute is deployed.

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That’s the sequence the pilot and weapons systems officer on the F-15E over Iran would have faced after their plane was shot down on Friday, forcing them to evacuate and sparking a high-risk rescue operation over the weekend. The incident – and the successful recovery of both airmen in recent days – gives a rare look at what happened in the second half of the pilot’s release, and the great forces they endured to survive.

“It’s a violent event,” Pete “Gunz” Gersten, a former F-16 pilot who flew the special mission, told Fox News Digital.

When the pilot pulls the ejection handle, the sequence begins almost immediately.

The canopy disappears in a split second. The seat tilts upwards, which forces the body at high speeds.

When the pilot pulls the ejection handle, he experiences a force ranging from 14G to 20G (14 to 20 times gravity), according to military experts. For a 200-pound pilot, this means their body feels as if it suddenly weighs 4,000 pounds.

“You’re not the one making the decisions anymore,” Gersten said, describing what happens to the pilots who eject. “You’re a participant, and you’re on board.”

Moments later, the plane falls behind them, while the crew is suspended in the open, waiting for the parachute to deploy.

At the time, two Iranian soldiers were facing off after their plane was shot down on Friday, forcing them to evacuate and sparking a massive rescue operation over the weekend as the U.S. military worked to find them and return them to hostile territory.

HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters were involved in efforts to rescue the downed pilot in Iran. (US Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Deanna Muir)

The successful recovery of both a pilot and a weapons systems officer in an F-15E in recent days underscored both the dangers of operating in contested airspace and the importance of rapid rescue capabilities.

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Pilots never practice an actual ejection.

Instead, they train for an emergency they hope will never happen, relying on repetition, simulation and memorized routines to prepare for a moment in time.

“You’re relying on muscle memory for something you’ve never done,” Gersten said.

That training begins before pilots take their first flight.

“When they start flying, before they enter the cockpit, they are trained on how to get out of the plane if something goes wrong,” said Gersten.

It starts in the classroom, where pilots learn how the ejection system works. From there, they move on to simulators designed to replicate parts of the experience – without exposing themselves to actual escapism.

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In another system, the ejection seat is mounted on a rail and launched upwards, giving pilots a partial sense of acceleration that they would feel in a real emergency.

But the training doesn’t stop when the seat is “on fire.”

Pilots are then strapped into harness systems that simulate parachute descent, often using virtual reality to recreate the feeling of floating above the ground. There, they practice a strict sequence of actions – clearing their visor, checking their canopy, adjusting their gear and navigating to a safe landing spot.

For the two airmen who flew out over Iran, that training helped make a violent, unpredictable escape deep into hostile territory.

Pilots are trained to prepare for a variety of conditions – from water landings to mountainous terrain – each carrying its own risks. (Jesus Olarte/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“There’s no checklist you can use when you’re hanging from a parachute,” Gersten said. “Actually, you’ll have to memorize it.”

At the end of the simulation, the trainees are brought down to practice the final—and often the most dangerous—phase: the landing.

“You have to be prepared, you have to be trained, otherwise you can hurt yourself,” said Gersten.

Before pulling the handle, pilots are trained to press their bodies straight back into the seat, keeping their spine strong and aligned to reduce the risk of serious injury.

In two-seat aircraft such as the F-15E, the pilot or weapons systems officer can initiate the ejection. Once activated, the system automatically ejects both airmen in rapid succession, separated by fractions of a second to prevent air collisions.

Even after the parachute is deployed, the danger is not over.

“The biggest concern… is where will I live?” Gersten said.

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Pilots are trained to prepare for a variety of conditions – from water landings to mountainous terrain – each carrying its own risks. Landing injuries are common, especially if the pilot is not properly positioned or prepared for impact.

For the two airmen who flew out over Iran, that training helped make a violent, unpredictable escape deep into hostile territory.

The F-15E pilot was captured by the US military later on Friday. But the weapons program officer had to hide in enemy territory until he was spotted by the US and rescued on Sunday.

“The second member of staff – the weapons system officer – was in critical condition after the evacuation,” Trump said at a press conference. “He climbed over the bleeding cliffs, treated his wounds, and contacted the American soldiers. He was surrounded by the Iranian soldiers, but he managed to escape capture by climbing the treacherous mountains … he is a brave warrior.”

Modern systems have a survival rate of about 90% to 95%, according to military and medical studies, but casualties are common. Studies show that up to 30% of pilots suffer spinal fractures during evacuation, while extensive reviews find serious injuries in about one-third of cases.

If the pilot’s arms or legs are not in place, extreme wind blasts can cause what is known as a “flail injury,” resulting in breakage or separation.