The U.S. military's ability to locate a fighter pilot downed in Iran within 36 hours was made possible by an advanced technology called "Ghost Murmur," according to reports. The system, developed by Lockheed Martin, can pinpoint a person's location from over 60 kilometers away using only their heartbeat.
The New York Post reported Wednesday (local time) that the Central Intelligence Agency used Ghost Murmur to find the second American pilot who ejected from a fighter jet shot down over southern Iran. The technology employs long-range quantum magnetometry to detect electromagnetic signals from the human heartbeat, combined with artificial intelligence software that isolates specific signatures from background noise.
This marks the first deployment of the technology in an actual combat operation. A source familiar with the system said it is "like hearing one person's voice in the middle of a 1,000-square-mile desert," adding that "if the heart is beating, we can find them." The term "murmur" is a medical reference to heartbeat sounds, while "ghost" signifies the ability to locate someone who has effectively vanished.
Normally, the human heartbeat is so faint that sensors must be placed almost directly on the chest to detect it. However, Ghost Murmur uses sensors that exploit microscopic defects in synthetic diamonds to detect cardiac signals from much greater distances.
The rescued weapons systems officer (WSO), known only by the call sign "Duke 44 Bravo," survived for two days hiding in a mountain crevice after his F-15E fighter jet was shot down late last week. Iranian forces launched a search operation, and a bounty was placed on his head. He activated a beacon — a locator device made by Boeing for combat survivors — but the signal failed to reach search and rescue teams.
That is when Ghost Murmur was deployed. The equipment detected a heartbeat signal in the mountainous terrain, confirming the pilot was alive and providing an approximate location. Based on this information, the pilot emerged from his hiding spot and reactivated his beacon, enabling precise location tracking. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said, "On the morning of the 4th, the CIA confirmed that one pilot was alive, hiding in a mountain crevice. He was invisible to the enemy, but not to the CIA."
President Donald Trump said the CIA detected the missing servicemember from 40 miles (approximately 64 km) away. "It was like finding a needle in a haystack," he said, adding that "the CIA deserves great credit for finding this small dot."
Ghost Murmur was developed by Skunk Works, Lockheed Martin's secretive advanced development division. The technology has been successfully tested on Black Hawk helicopters and is being prepared for integration into F-35 fighter jets.