The CIA utilized a secret technology known as "Ghost Murmur" to locate a downed U.S. pilot in Iran, according to sources familiar with the program.
The device reportedly uses long-range quantum magnetometry to detect the electromagnetic signal of a human heartbeat, combining the data with artificial intelligence to filter out background noise.
The technology was used during a high-stakes rescue mission in southwest Iran following the shoot-down of a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle in early April.
While the first crew member was found quickly, the second aviator remained trapped in a mountain crevice for nearly two days while being pursued by Iranian helicopters and drones.
President Donald Trump confirmed the rescue on April 5, noting that the operation involved dozens of military aircraft, including warplanes and helicopters.
U.S. officials also implemented a CIA-led deception plan to mislead Iranian forces. The agency spread rumors that the aviator had been found and was being moved via a ground convoy to draw troops away from his actual location.
Scientific skepticism regarding 'Ghost Murmur'
Sources told the New York Post that the technology was developed by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works division. One source described the device's capability as being "like hearing a voice in a stadium, only that the stadium is a thousand-mile desert."
Lockheed Martin declined to comment on the alleged device. However, one source claimed the technology has already been successfully tested on Black Hawk helicopters for potential use in F-35 fighter jets.
Despite these claims, the scientific community remains skeptical of the device's capabilities. Experts interviewed by Scientific American argue that the magnetic field produced by a human heart is far too weak to be detected from a distance.
John Wikswo, a professor of biomedical engineering and physics at Vanderbilt University, noted that the heart's magnetic field is barely detectable just 10 centimeters from the chest.
"If instead of 10 centimeters, it is one meter away, the signal amplitude reduces to one-thousandth of its original value," Wikswo said, suggesting detection at much greater distances is physically improbable.
