A congressional plan to replace special operations aircraft destroyed during the rescue of a downed F-15E aviator in Iran would be paid for with money the Pentagon had planned to use to buy more OA-1K Skyraider II aircraft.
The Senate Armed Services Committee’s draft 2027 Defense Authoriztion bill filed June 16 would authorize spending $127.5 million to fund replacements for “combat losses”—$72 million for special ops helicopters and $55.75 million for AC/MC-130s.
The Defense Department lost four MH-6 Little Bird helicopters and two MC-130J special ops mobility aircraft during the rescue operation to extract the F-15E weapons systems officer from deep within Iran during Operation Epic Fury in April. The MC-130s carried the MH-6s into Iran and landed on an unprepared, wet and sandy valley in the midst of mountainous terrain. When the airplanes became stuck in the sand, leaders decided to destroy the aircraft in place.
Officials have said they want to replace combat losses from Epic Fury, including those special ops airframes and MQ-9 Reaper drones, among others, but have not yet offered specifics on plans a supplemental funding bill to cover those costs.
With lawmakers growing impatient, the Senate Armed Services Committee took matters into its own hands. In funding tables attached to the policy bill, committee members cited U.S. Special Operations Command’s unfunded priorities list for the amounts they added for MH-6 and MC-130 aircraft, but zeroed out almost $60 million in funding for additional Skyraider aircraft.
The annual authorization bill provides the policy direction for Pentagon spending and other actions; funding must follow in the annual appropriations bill, which is written by the Appropriations Committee.
The proposal shows the hard choices lawmakers and Pentagon officials face as they try to rebuild from the losses of Epic Fury.
The OA-1K is a modified crop-duster adapted for light attack missions and gathering intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in counterinsurgency operations. U.S. Special Operations Command had already dialed back its plans for the Skyraider from 75 of the aircraft to just 53, but earlier this month the House Armed Services Committee recommended a four-fold increase in OA-1K funding, to nearly $280 million.
Now, the program is in limbo until lawmakers resolve the differences between their proposals, a process that is likely to take months.
Other efforts are ongoing to replace aircraft lost during Epic Fury. The Air Force wants to replace some 30 downed MQ-9A Reaper drones, but with that production line closed, officials are considering other options, including buying a new version of the aircraft or adapting models owned by other government customers.
Having lost a KC-135 tanker during combat operations, it is also scrounging one out of retirement, although the Air Force has yet to confirm that this aircraft will be a direct replacement. The Air Force also lost four F-15E fighters during the conflict, and have not addressed how those might be replaced. The E-model is no longer in production, but the Air Force is acquiring a successor, the F-15EX.