Quote:
Originally Posted by Llarry
Me, too. But apparently at the cost of at least one HH-60 rescue helicopter and a number of injured personnel and aircraft damaged by Iranian fire. 
The U.S. military will expend great effort to recover aircrew who go down in enemy territory. I fully support that, but they sometimes do so at great cost in human life.
The media have referred to "Blackhawk" helicopters being used to search for and rescue the USAF aircrewman. The Air Force's HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter is based on the Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk but is a very different beast: Refueling probe, radar, electronic warfare systems for self-protection, armament, armor. If I had to guess, I'd say twice the price or more compared to an Army UH-60M. |
He had to be rescued whatever the cost to helicopters and other aircraft, one or two helis that got stuck in soft sand had to be destroyed rather than let them fall into enemy hands and the fallout if the Colonel was captured doesn't bear thinking about.