Donald Trump is likely to characterize the rescue of the second crew member from the downed F-15 fighter jet as a significant success for propaganda purposes. However, the events of the past 48 hours serve as a stark reminder of Iran’s ability to retaliate and impose costs on the United States.<\/p>\n
This situation should also prompt caution within the White House, which is still weighing the possibility of initiating a ground operation in Iran to capture an island in the Persian Gulf. This consideration is particularly relevant if there is a genuine intent to recover Iran’s highly enriched uranium stored deep underground.<\/p>\n
The ongoing US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran has been heavily tilted in favor of the attackers, to the extent that a single shoot-down\u2014occurring five weeks into the conflict\u2014has become a notable issue for the Americans due to its rarity and memorability. The last time a US warplane was downed by hostile action was during the Iraq War in 2003.<\/p>\n
While the exact circumstances of the F-15E’s demise remain unclear, its loss underscores that the air superiority claimed by US and Israeli forces is not entirely secure, despite conducting between 300 to 500 bombings daily in Iran.<\/p>\n
The F-15E Strike Eagle, valued at approximately $31 million (with a new unit potentially costing around $100 million), represents a substantial investment. However, the complexities arose primarily from the rescue operation, which was far more perilous than the original mission of the warplane.<\/p>\n
A decision to utilize an abandoned Iranian airstrip located south of Isfahan for the operation went awry when two C-130 Hercules transport planes, likely modified for search and rescue, became immobilized. According to US sources, these aircraft were destroyed to prevent them from being captured by Iranian forces, necessitating the deployment of additional transporters to successfully retrieve the injured crew member. Each of the modified Hercules is valued at nearly $115 million.<\/p>\n
Additionally, an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter involved in the rescue sustained damage from gunfire, leading to the conclusion that the total cost in terms of lost and damaged aircraft exceeds $250 million, primarily for the operation to save the second crew member.<\/p>\n
Militarily, incidents like this are not particularly detrimental for the US, as aircraft losses\u2014whether due to enemy action or accidents\u2014are an accepted risk of warfare. Prior to the assault on Iran, the US had 218 F-15E Strike Eagles and 55 C-130s within its special operations command, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.<\/p>\n
A comprehensive US search and rescue mission was politically essential to ensure that neither member of the crew fell into Iranian hands. The capture of one or both crew members would have been a significant propaganda victory for Tehran, reminiscent of the 1979-80 US embassy hostage crisis, which severely impacted then-President Jimmy Carter’s administration.<\/p>\n
Trump underscored this point in a social media message, declaring in capital letters that the US would never abandon an American serviceman. While this statement reflects a commendable commitment, it also implies that further risks and costs will arise each time this principle is invoked.<\/p>\n
In this instance, Iranian forces were unsuccessful in locating either crew member from the F-15E. They were unable to challenge the US’s use of the abandoned airbase south of Isfahan, potentially due to the presence of Reaper drones monitoring the area, which, according to US briefings, were positioned to eliminate any Iranian personnel approaching within a 3-kilometer radius.<\/p>\n
However, the loss of the rescue C-130s emphasizes the heightened risks associated with any potential US ground operation in Iran. Is it truly feasible for US special forces to seize the estimated 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium believed to be concealed underground in Isfahan and transport them without encountering significant difficulties?<\/p>\n
There is little doubt that Iran\u2014subject to over 15,000 bombings thus far\u2014has faced severe bombardment from the relentless US and Israeli airstrikes. Nevertheless, Tehran can still transform even minor US or Israeli losses into a propaganda success, regardless of the condition of its military forces or air defenses, precisely because such losses have been infrequent.<\/p>\n
In an asymmetric conflict, the weaker side only needs one fortunate occurrence to turn the tide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Donald Trump is likely to characterize the rescue of the second crew member from the downed F-15 fighter jet as a significant success for propaganda purposes. However, the events of the past 48 hours serve as a stark reminder of Iran’s ability to retaliate and impose costs on the United States. This situation should also […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3045,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[261,122,105,88,176,120],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk-donald-trump","category-iran","category-middle-east-and-north-africa","category-uk","category-us-news","category-us-israel-war-on-iran"],"yoast_head":"\n