Multiple U.S. military aircraft damaged in Iranian strikes on military base in Jordan, sources say

CBS News |James LaPorta, Jennifer Jacobs

Iranian forces hit the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. Several U.S. aircraft were damaged, including an A-10 Thunderbolt and eight F-15s. This is a big step up in the conflict, as American air assets in Jordan were directly targeted. Thankfully, there were no U.S. casualties.

A U.S. attack on five Iranian oil tankers came after Iran had retaliated for a previous strike by Iranians on a U.S. Navy warship. In the course of the confrontation, the American forces launched over 30 Patriot missiles in order to defend the installation. Supplies of munitions are being used up very quickly. The substantial amount spent on defence is increasing the Pentagon's growing worries about its reserves of guided missiles. In a geopolitical sense, the conflict risks causing the regional tensions to spread. President Trump stated that Iran is trying to affect the upcoming U.S. midterm elections and predicted that the conflict will end immediately afterwards since the opposing side cannot keep on going.

Comment

The fact that more than 30 Patriot missiles were used at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base shows how serious the logistical and sustainment weaknesses are for American air forces that are forward-deployed. Although the MIM-104 Patriot system managed to intercept the incoming Iranian attack, the quick use up of the interceptors indicates that the supply chain is weak and cannot provide support during long-lasting, intense operations. This kind of defensive expenditure directly puts the operational readiness of the F-15 and A-10 Thunderbolt squadrons based at the Jordanian facility at risk.

The supply of these interceptors is hampered by the low rate of industrial production at Lockheed Martin plants, since this production cannot keep up with actual consumption in the theatre. As a result, the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement stockpile is at risk of being used up quickly if it has to deal with attacks from multiple-axis drones and missiles. This kind of supply-side difficulty means that Muwaffaq Salti will not be able to maintain his active air defence operations for very long without transferring PAC-3 batteries from other areas under the command of the US Central Command.

Strategic Question for Discussion

What effect would it have on the regional air defence policy of the US Central Command if the number of PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement interceptors at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base were to be significantly reduced, and what are the implications for the forward-deployed F-15 squadrons?

The pattern indicates that if there is a prolonged shortage of PAC-3 interceptors, then the US Central Command will have to move from active interception to passive defence measures, for example by using hardened aircraft shelters and carrying out rapid runway repairs. I believe that this change would reduce the operational availability of the forward-deployed F-15 squadrons since the aircraft would be obliged to spread out and use less well-defended secondary airstrips. In the end, this logistical limitation lowers the level of sortie generation that is needed to preserve local air superiority.

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