Military officials said on Wednesday that the remains of a U. S. fighter jet pilot shot down over North Vietnam 43 years ago have been returned to his family.

It had determined through forensic testing that the remains were those of Air Force Col. Elton L. Perrine of Pittsford, N. Y., said the Defense Department's POW/Missing Personnel Office. The office further said that his remains were buried with full military honors last week at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington.

Perrine and Capt. Kenneth F. Backus completed a nighttime strike against a railroad yard near Kep in North Vietnam on May 22, 1967, but an explosion seen by another crew shortly after was believed to have been their F-4C Phantom crashing a few miles from the target.

It was also reported that no search-and-rescue attempts were made at the time because of heavy enemy anti-aircraft fire in the region.

Over the decades, the collection of leads, including interviews with witnesses and villagers, allowed the POW/MIA office to identify four locations as potential crash sites. Eventually, surveys and four excavations led to the discovery and recovery of small pieces of aircraft wreckage, human remains, personal effects and life-support equipment from the four locations.

DNA testing of some of the remains were matched with those of Perrine's mother. (With Inputs from Agencies)