The United States has reportedly destroyed four of its own aircraft on Iranian soil after a search and rescue operation related to the rescue of the crew of a downed F-15E fighter.
According to The New York Times, there were two HC-130J Combat King II-plane and two helicopters blown up on the ground to prevent them being taken by Iranian forces.
According to the report, the decision was made after the evacuation of the fighter’s second crew member. The rescue planes reportedly landed on an improvised fuel strip inside Iran, but were unable to leave the country for reasons that have yet to be officially explained.
+ The US rescues a missing soldier in Iran in a high-risk special operation
Faced with the risk of losing the equipment, the American soldiers are said to have chosen to render it useless on the spot. The move underlines how complex the mission was and raises even more questions about what happened during the operation on Iranian territory.
According to the NYT, the US sent three additional HC-130J Combat King II aircraft to maintain the search and rescue operation, even after the loss of the aircraft used in the first phase of the mission. In one of the photos mentioned in the report, two planes are parked side by side shortly before the explosion.
The incident took on a new dimension after information published by NBC News. According to sources cited by the TV channel, two US UH-60 military helicopters were hit by Iranian fire during the rescue mission for F-15E– the crew member. The information indicates that the operation met with direct resistance on the ground, which further increased the tension surrounding the mission.
So far, US authorities have not provided a detailed explanation of what prevented the aircraft from being pulled out, or the exact conditions of the improvised strip used during the mission. Full official details about the extent of the damage to the UH-60 helicopters that NBC News mentions have also not been released.
The operation is already being described as one of the most sensitive of the conflict, both because of the high level of risk and the extreme decision to destroy own air assets in enemy territory to avoid their capture.
Source and images: USAF | NEW. This content was created with the help of KI and reviewed by the editors.
