Hyderabad, Sept. 14 -- A US Air Force colonel has described how he survived nearly 50 hours in Iran after his F-15E fighter jet was shot down in April, revealing details of his ordeal and the US operation that eventually brought him home.

The officer, identified by his mission call sign "Dude 44 Bravo" because of security concerns, was the weapons-systems officer aboard the two-seat fighter. He gave his first public account of the incident to CBS News' "60 Minutes" in an interview aired on Sunday, September 13.

The F-15E was struck by an Iranian shoulder-fired missile during a US mission in early April. Bravo and the pilot, identified as "Alpha", ejected from the aircraft after it was hit and became separated during the descent.

Bravo'...