The US has now lost several aircraft in the war they are partnering with Israel to fight Iran. The country was not so worried when the military was only using missiles and drones, but the aircraft have crews onboard.
Iran has so far shot down US military fighters, a tanker, and several other war aircraft. For the level of sophistication the US military has, the reported deaths from aerial combat in such a war are disconcerting.
Apparently, not all of those unfortunate incidents have been caused by ground strikes. Some are from air-to-air combat, others from aircraft crashes, while others are from friendly fire.
Aircraft Losses in One Weekend
Over the weekend, the US lost a number of aircraft, including an F-15E fighter jet that was shot down on Good Friday. Although its two pilots managed to eject as it went down in the southern part of Iran, one was severely injured.
On learning of the crash, the Iranian government announced a reward of a whopping $60,000 for anyone helping to capture the US crew members. Fortunately, it did not take long for the US to find one of the pilots. However, it took a little longer to rescue the one who was severely injured, but the rescuers managed to fly him to neighboring Kuwait for medical treatment.
On the same day, another US aircraft, an A-10 Warthog combat plane, went down over the Pacific Ocean around the Strait of Hormuz. Luckily, the pilot ejected successfully and the US military personnel were on hand to rescue him.
Other credible reports indicate that yesterday, during the search-and-rescue mission, the US rescuers were unable to fly the rescue planes out of the scene. The site is one of Iran’s remote places. So the military personnel on site did what they found prudent. They set the planes on fire to ensure they did not fall into enemy hands.
The aircraft included two military C-130 transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters.
Other US Military Aircraft Losses
The weekend losses are not isolated cases. In March, the Pentagon confirmed that a US aircraft, a KC-135, had crashed while refueling mid-air over Iraq. The plane was out on a combat mission. Its military crew of six died in the accident, all aged between 28 and 38 years. They hailed from different states: Four from Alabama, Washington, Kentucky, and Indiana, and two from Ohio.
Incidentally, the US said at the time that the aircraft had not been brought down by enemy fire. However, they did not explain what caused it to crash.
Towards the end of March, Iran struck Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base and damaged an AWACS US aircraft belonging to the Airforce. This was an E-3 Sentry aircraft equipped with an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS).
The same strikes destroyed a number of KC-135 aircraft meant for aerial refueling. Unfortunately, the attack caused injuries to a number of US military personnel at the site, and although the US did not disclose the exact number, word has it that there were a minimum of 15.
The Impact of the US’ Recent Heavy Losses
The continued incidents involving US aircraft and their crew are an embarrassment to the US government and to the US military as a world force. They are also an expensive affair that leaves the military with less capacity than before the war.
Moreover, to the families of the deceased fighters and other crew, whether any of the affected aircraft was downed by friendly fire, meaning non-enemy causes, or by US adversaries, is immaterial. Their pain is still intense and long-lasting.