Details of the U.S. military rescue operation for the weapons operator and the first exposure of military aircraft (Figures 1 and 2).
According to The New York Times, after the F-15E weapons operator was rescued, the plot took a final twist: two C-130 transport aircraft originally scheduled to evacuate special operations forces and Air Force personnel were stranded at a remote Iranian base (referred to by the NYT as a "base") due to being stuck. Commanders decided to dispatch three new aircraft to evacuate all U.S. military and Air Force personnel, and subsequently destroyed the two malfunctioning planes themselves to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands.
This means that U.S. special forces destroyed two grounded American military transport aircraft. Both planes had encountered difficulties during evacuation. Rather than risk the Iranians capturing and reverse-engineering advanced technology, it was deemed better to destroy them.
This is considered standard procedure—ensuring advanced technology does not fall into enemy hands.
The NYT’s account likely comes from high-ranking military officials, but whether these sources were directly involved in decision-making during the rescue operation remains unclear.
From the photos first exposed, the U.S. transport aircraft are seen parked on an open field—not what one would call a “base” in any meaningful sense.
This implies that during the actual rescue mission, transport aircraft were used to parachute in special forces instead of helicopters.
Transport aircraft conduct parachute drops from higher altitudes.
Helicopters perform rappelling, allowing closer proximity to the ground and faster deployment.
However, paratroopers in mid-air become easy targets, forcing reliance on the assumption that Revolutionary Guards hadn’t yet arrived on scene.
Helicopter insertions, meanwhile, bring troops dangerously close to the ground—leaving pilots traumatized by past fire incidents.
Thus, a choice between two evils had to be made.
On the other hand, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims that an enemy aircraft searching for the pilot of a downed fighter jet was destroyed by Islamic fighters in the southern region of Isfahan.
Which version aligns more closely with reality? That’s up to your imagination.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861604697911364/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.