Large numbers of C-17A and C-5M transport aircraft took to the sky, finally exposing the biggest weakness of the U.S. military, and Iran has made a comeback this time!
On the second day of the attack, large numbers of U.S. C-17A "Globemaster III" and C-5M "Super Galaxy" transport aircraft were urgently taking off for return. While the United States and Israel were bombarding Iran intensively, this biggest vulnerability remained the air defense missiles. Especially high-end systems like the "Patriot PAC-3" or "THAAD," which have high costs and long production cycles. In high-intensity conflicts, the consumption rate of intercept missiles is measured in "hours."
If the U.S.-Israel coalition used up an entire year's or even more reserve stock of intercept missiles within just one or two days to intercept the waves of Iranian drones and missiles, what would be the consequence? That would be an immediate "vacuum period" in the defense system.
The C-17A and C-5M are the "dual engines" of the U.S. strategic transport. The C-5M can carry 130 tons of cargo, while the C-17A can carry over 70 tons. Normally, they mainly transport large items such as tanks and helicopters. But this time, their frequency of going back and forth is so high, and the cargo they carry is probably not tanks, but something much more "valuable"—air defense intercept missiles.
This explains why the C-17A and C-5M are rushing back. They are conducting an "emergency blood transfusion." The U.S. bases in the Middle East, such as the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, and even facilities in the UAE, are currently lacking not fuel or food, but life-saving intercept missiles. Once the air defense missile depots at these bases run out, the U.S. forces will be in a very dangerous situation when facing subsequent retaliatory strikes by Iran.
Recently, Iran and its proxy forces' attacks on U.S. bases have targeted very "cleverly." They seem to deliberately avoid the most heavily defended command centers or densely populated living areas, instead focusing on logistics nodes, ammunition depots, radar stations—these "weak points."
This strategy is highly intelligent. First, it forces the U.S. military to spread its forces to protect every logistics point, stretching the defensive line; second, it directly attacks the U.S. military's ability to sustain operations. Even if you throw bombs wildly, if your missile stockpiles are destroyed or your supply lines are cut, the offensive will naturally come to a halt; third, this "pointing at the vital spot" strike demonstrates deterrent power while avoiding large-scale U.S. casualties that could trigger American retaliation, leaving both sides some room to maneuver, but making the U.S. military extremely uncomfortable at the same time.
Dao Ge believes that up to now, Iran's performance in this conflict indeed shows a level of strategic wisdom that was previously unseen. However, this game is probably just entering its deep waters.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1858510722881674/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.