The big picture: The CIA reportedly used a secret AI tool called "Ghost Murmur" to locate and rescue an American airman after his F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran last week. The aircraft was carrying two crew members, both of whom ejected safely after being intercepted by a new Iranian air-defense system and were later rescued by the US military. The pilot was recovered shortly after the crash, and the second airman was found more than 24 hours later.
According to two sources cited by the New York Post, Ghost Murmur can detect heartbeats from miles away. One source described it as being able to hear a voice in a large stadium, "except the stadium is a thousand square miles of desert." The sources also claimed that the tool can locate virtually anyone stranded under most conditions, saying, "If your heart is beating, we will find you."
Ghost Murmur was reportedly developed by Lockheed Martin's elite Advanced Development Programs unit, known as Skunk Works. Established in 1943 as a secretive R&D team for designing state-of-the-art aircraft and fighter jets, Skunk Works has since been tasked with developing cutting-edge AI software for high-stakes surveillance, espionage, intelligence gathering, and other purposes.
Sources claimed that Ghost Murmur was thoroughly tested on Black Hawk helicopters by Lockheed Martin and the US military, but this was the first time it was used in the field by the CIA. Neither the Pentagon nor Lockheed Martin has officially commented on the report, but President Trump seemingly referred to the new tool while speaking to reporters on Monday, describing a "very sophisticated" device used to locate and rescue the injured airman.
The rescued serviceman, publicly identified as "Dude 44 Bravo," is a weapons systems officer with the US Air Force. He was found nearly two days after his fighter jet was shot down in southern Iran last week. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it had intercepted the aircraft using a new air-defense system, and the Iranian government announced a 10 billion-toman (around $60,000) reward for the airman's capture.
According to one source, the barren landscape of the region provided an "ideal first operational use" of Ghost Murmur. The absence of vegetation and competing human signatures ensured minimal electromagnetic interference. Another factor aiding the search was the nighttime thermal contrast between a human body and the desert floor, giving the rescue crew "a secondary confirmation layer."
Ghost Murmur was named to reflect its ability to detect the heartbeats of missing or lost individuals from miles away. While "murmur" refers to a heart rhythm, the "ghost" signifies someone who has disappeared and might have died were it not for this tool.