The title translates to: "How Much Equipment is 'Spent' in the Middle East Conflict: Aircraft Carrier Disabled by Major Fire, Friendly Forces Mistakenly Strike Fighter Jet..."

Fighter jets hit by friendly fire

Aircraft carrier on fire for 30 hours

Hundreds of vessels hit in port

……

In the first half of this year

What is the combat loss situation of land, sea, and air equipment in the Middle East conflict?

Five U.S. military aircraft lost

Three were actually destroyed by allies

On March 2 local time, a Kuwaiti Air Force F/A-18 "Hornet" mistakenly shot down three U.S. F-15E "Strike Eagle" fighter jets, thinking they were enemy aircraft, resulting in six people ejecting to escape.

On April 3, another U.S. F-15E was shot down by a surface-to-air missile within Iranian territory—the front seat pilot was a survivor from last month's friendly fire incident. During the rescue operation, an A-10 attack aircraft was also hit and crashed.

As a result, the U.S. military has completely lost five tactical aircraft in operations against Iran.

Military expert Wang Mingzhi believes that the friendly fire incident exposed the U.S. military's failure to integrate into the allies' air defense system, revealing vulnerabilities in the friend-or-foe identification system.

U.S. media reported that the downed U.S. pilots had seen Iranian drones flying in formation like "jellyfish." Military commentator Wei Dongxu interpreted this as likely being Iran's low-cost air defense cruise missiles, which search for targets in a slow, figure-eight pattern and attack once locked on.

Tanker crash

Early warning aircraft destroyed

On March 12, two U.S. KC-135 tankers had an accident over Iraq, one of which crashed, resulting in six fatalities. There are speculations that the accident was caused by an aerial collision.

Military expert Wang Mingzhi analyzed that aerial refueling rendezvous requires establishing communication when approaching about 80 kilometers, reporting heading and altitude; if communication fails, the two "big guys" can easily encounter each other dangerously.

On March 13, Iran attacked the Saudi Prince Sultan Air Base, damaging five U.S. KC-135s.

On March 27, the base was struck again, and an E-3G early warning aircraft was completely destroyed. This may be the most expensive and hardest to replace type lost by the U.S. military in the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict.

Military commentator Wei Dongxu analyzed that U.S. high command had once considered replacing early warning aircraft with space-based radar, but the project is far from mature. Ultimately, Congress allocated funds to procure the E-7 "Wedgetail," indicating that the position of large early warning aircraft in the U.S. military system remains unshakeable.

On the Iranian side, the only KC-747 tanker still in service globally, as well as Iran's government Airbus A340 passenger aircraft, C-130 transport aircraft, Il-76 transport aircraft, and P-3 anti-submarine patrol aircraft were destroyed.

Grill-style roof failed to protect

Israeli armored forces suffered significant losses in Lebanon

Starting in late March, Israeli forces deployed armored units to launch a ground offensive in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah used small drones to attack Israeli armored vehicles on a large scale for the first time.

In a video from early May, a "Merkava" main battle tank equipped with a grill-style roof was hit by a suicide drone and completely burned. The Israeli "Namer" infantry fighting vehicles, fuel tankers, and "Iron Dome" system also became targets of drone attacks.

Wang Mingzhi believes that Israel has long underestimated its opponents, while the fiber-guided drones used by Hezbollah are difficult to detect by electronic reconnaissance and attack the weakest points of armor at close range.

Wei Dongxu stated that Hezbollah's tactics are continuously evolving. The first move is snipers taking cold shots, the second move is a three-shot volley of anti-tank missiles to ensure complete destruction of the target. This combination has caused significant losses to the Israeli military.

Hundreds of Iranian vessels destroyed before leaving port

U.S. "Ford" aircraft carrier burned for 30 hours

On March 16 local time, the U.S. military reported that over 100 Iranian naval vessels had been destroyed or damaged, most of which were hit while still in port and had not set sail.

Wang Mingzhi pointed out that the problems with Iran's naval forces mainly stem from fixed base facilities that are vulnerable to long-range strikes, and the vessels themselves have relatively weak air defense capabilities.

On the U.S. side, the "Ford" aircraft carrier, while participating in military operations against Iran, experienced a fire in the laundry room that burned for over 30 hours, causing more than 600 personnel to lose their berths.

Wei Dongxu analyzed that Iran is passively taking hits, while the U.S. aircraft carrier is facing its own issues—construction hazards compounded by extended deployment ultimately forced it to withdraw from combat and leave the Middle East.

Source: CCTV Military Comprehensive CCTV-7 "Global Military Events"