The wrecks sat on a dirt airfield south of Isfahan: two MC-130J Commando II transports and two AH/MH-6 Little Bird helicopters, burned out. U.S. forces had destroyed them on April 5, 2026, rather than leave them for Iran.
The airfield was a forward arming and refueling point for the mission to recover a downed F-15E weapon system officer. It lay roughly 200 miles from the Iranian coastline and 230 miles from a land border, according to The War Zone, which put the site near 32.258394, 51.901927 using geolocation by open-source analysts.
Why the aircraft were destroyed
The two C-130s could not take off. U.S. forces demolished them where they stood. A congressional report later described the MC-130Js as “intentionally destroyed on the ground in Iran after becoming unable to depart,” and said their crews were safely evacuated. PBS NewsHour, summarizing the rescue, reported that U.S. forces destroyed two C-130s after a technical malfunction.
The Little Birds are harder to explain. The War Zone could not say why they were lost. They may have been hit by enemy fire, run short of fuel once the transports were stuck, or been left behind because there was not enough lift to carry them out. Either way, the logic for burning stranded special operations aircraft was the same: sensitive equipment could not be allowed to fall into hostile hands.
Three more aircraft arrived to pull out the special operations force. Iranian forces that tried to approach the base reportedly came under fire from above, and video suggested an AH-6 may have engaged them.
The wider operation
The base was one piece of a larger rescue. Two U.S. aircraft went down over Iran that day. The pilot of the F-15E Strike Eagle was recovered after about seven hours, and the pilot of an A-10 was also rescued. Two Black Hawk helicopters took fire during the effort and made it to safe airspace.
The second crew member, the weapons systems officer, was hiding in a mountain crevice. PBS reported that the CIA ran a deception campaign, spreading word that he had already been found, which helped operatives pinpoint him. Iran’s state television, meanwhile, urged the public to capture the “enemy pilot.” Both countries were racing to reach him.
President Trump said there were no American deaths or injuries. “This is the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory,” he said. U.S. officials stayed silent for more than 24 hours so as not to compromise the operation.
Sources
- Night Stalker AH-6 Little Bird Helicopters Destroyed At Forward Landing Site In Iran
- What to know about the daring rescue of two U.S. aviators shot down in Iran
- Congressional report lists 81 US aircraft lost or damaged in Iran war
