DEDHAM, Mass. — Retired U.S. Army Major Bob Kinder knows from experience how dangerous Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) missions are in enemy territory.
Hours after news broke of two U.S. military jets shot down in a devastating escalation of the Iran War, Kinder explained the efforts that could occur.
“It’s a very complex and very dangerous mission, because you’re behind enemy lines, and you don’t have a lot of backup,” Kinder said of CSAR operations. “When we send aircraft in behind enemy lines, especially in a country as large as Iran, if an aircraft is shot down, it’s a complex logistics problem to go deep into enemy territory to rescue these guys and gals.”
Of the two aircraft, one pilot was safely located, but another crew member remained missing Friday.
Iran state media urged residents to hand over any “enemy pilot” who was recovered, promising a reward.
“It’s frightening. Think about the families,” Kinder said of the families unsure if their loved ones were involved. “Those families… have got to be on pins and needles right now.”
Kinder explained how a pilot or weapon systems officer could be located if their aircraft were to be shot down.
“Once they get out of their parachute, get out of their harness, and they have an emergency locator beacon – it’s called a PRC-112 radio,” Kinder said. “They turn it on. It sends out a beacon to allow the incoming search-and-rescue aircraft to identify them, locate them on the ground. And they can actually use those radios to talk to the inbounding aircrafts.”
The inbound search-and-rescue aircraft can then give the pilot directions on what to do and what area is safe to move to, so that the pilot can pop a smoke grenade to signal their precise location.
In an address to the nation just two days before, President Donald Trump had touted decimation of Iran and pledged the war was winding down.
But Kinder believes Iran’s capabilities were underestimated.
“Clearly, they have gained some knowledge over the last few weeks to be able to shoot down our aircraft, where they couldn’t they couldn’t affect them several weeks ago,” Kinder said.
Trump has said the war is necessary to prevent Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon to protect the U.S. from an imminent threat.
But without boots on the ground – whether American, Israeli or other intelligence services – Kinder says it is impossible to know exactly what is left of Iran’s nuclear sites after American and Israeli strikes, nor what other weapons the country has.
“We really don’t know how many surface-to-air missiles they still may have out there,” Kinder said. “And many of these surface-to-air missiles are hand-held. So, we’re not really targeting those.”
As for a large-scale ground invasion, Kinder believes anything is possible.
“My concern is: do we have the fortitude to be able to stop operations before it escalates to ground troops?” Kinder said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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