Iran’s Tuesday night missile attack against Iraq resulted in sparse damage, only destroying nine tents and a helicopter, a military source told the Washington Examiner.
“They got one rescue helo and nine canvas shelters,” said the source, who has direct knowledge of the after-action battle damage assessment. “And that’s it. For them, it was a pretty skimpy outcome.”
An assortment of ground tools, such as rakes and shovels, might also have been wiped out, a European officer said. “We can’t really tell what they used to be,” said the officer, who is stationed at one of the targeted sites, Erbil air base in northern Iraq. “But they look like they might have been gardening tools.”
The helicopter was a Sikorsky HH-60 combat search and rescue craft, the military source said. The aircraft, nicknamed Pave Hawk, was built by American contractor Lockheed Martin. Modeled after the workhorse Black Hawk, the HH-60 is known for its survivability in combat — but still can fall victim to a missile, especially when earthbound and unable to evade.
“Too bad it wasn’t airborne when the hit came in,” said the European officer. “We’d still have the helicopter. I am worried about the tents, to be honest. A tent is very useful when you have to stay outside. Will people now have to double up in the cold?”
The Pave Hawk cost approximately $40 million, a civilian contractor who works with the U.S. military told the Washington Examiner.
None of the sources could estimate how much the tents and gardening tools are worth. Nor did they know whether the Pentagon will ask Iran to reimburse it for the lost helicopter, tents, and tools.
